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I love meatballs. They are so handy to have on hand. Added bonus is when I can find clearance meat to use to make them and then freeze them myself. Something about making my own just makes me feel more accomplished about my cooking skills. These Homemade Greek Meatballs are perfect used as game day food, in Homemade Gyros, or just by themselves with a side of Greek Salad. Try your hand at making them. You’ll definitely add this to your meal-planning repertoire.
I’ve tried for years to recreate the perfect Gyro meat at home. Needless to say, it’s just never the same as running uptown to the Greek Restaurant and getting takeout. But it’s a pain in the butt to drive that far, and as much as I love supporting local businesses, takeout is rare in my house.
Enter my Homemade Greek Meatballs
First off, I am a sucker for clearance meat lately. The prices of everything are skyrocketing, and finding meat marked down makes me almost giddy.
I found a 4-pound Black Angus Tri-Tip marked to 1/2 off the other day and I think I pulled a muscle grabbing that beauty so fast. A $20 piece of meat for $10?? That’s just a no-brainer. I can make at least 4 meals from that gorgeous thing.
Even if I don’t find ground meat on sale, I’ll grab it and grind it myself at home with my Kitchenaid Food Grinder attachment. We just have to make due sometimes. *wink*
Why Homemade Meatballs?
Sometimes having more than one kind of meatball in the freezer is handy. I have a tendency to get in a rut sometimes when I’m planning our meals each week. And if I’m in the mood for pasta when I’m planning, then we end up eating more of that than anything else.
Talk about a boring leftover night.
So having these Homemade Greek Meatballs properly labeled in my freezer to add to the routine just makes life a little more balanced. Well, at least our food options are anyhow.
Use these by themselves just dipped in Tzaziki sauce (recipe is below) or my homemade Gyros. I have kept these in the freezer to add to my Greek Salad. Or make Gyro Rice bowls. The options are endless and versatile. You can have these in the freezer to help use up that produce in the fridge before it ends up in the trash!!
Homemade Greek Meatballs Recipe
Homemade Greek Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup bread crumbs
- 1 small red onion minced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tbsp ground coriander
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp dried mint
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 lemon zested and juiced
- 1 lb lean ground beef or pork *can also use lamb
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1 cup sour cream *or plain Greek yogurt
- 1 small cucumber minced
- 1 tsp dill
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- In a large bowl, mix together breadcrumbs, onion, half of the minced garlic, coriander, cinnamon, mint, oregano, salt, pepper, and the lemon zest.
- Add in ground meat and egg, incorporating with your hands.
- If you have extra time, refrigerate mixture for 30-60 minutes to help the meatballs hold their shape.
- Form mixture into 1 inch meatballs. Dredge each in flour, coating lightly and shaking off excess.
- Place meatballs onto a parchment lined baking sheet about 1 inch apart.
- Bake at 400 degrees for 20-24 minutes or until evenly golden brown.
To make Tzatziki Sauce
- Mix together remaining minced garlic, lemon juice, sour cream, cucumber and dill.
- Allow to chill about 1 hour to blend flavors.
To Serve
- Dip the meaball in the accompanying Tzatziki souce as an appetizer; place in pitas to make homemade Gyros or make a Greek salad with them.
