Loaded with classic Greek spices and herbs, this tender, beefy Mediterranean meatball recipe with Tzatziki Sauce doesn’t skimp on flavor. Quick and easy, this beef meatball recipe deserves a spot on your weekly meal plan! They’re loaded with flavor, kid-friendly and delicious leftover! Even better? Like all of our favorite Meatball Recipes, this Mediterranean meatball recipe can easily be prepped ahead, and are freezer-friendly so you’ll always have a hearty, healthy dinner on hand.
Mediterranean Meatball Ingredients
Mediterranean herbs and spices: Onion, garlic, oregano, cumin, cinnamon, parsley.
Beef: You could play around with using other ground meat (like ground chicken or ground turkey) but we love how rich ground beef stands up to the bold mediterranean flavors in these meatballs. We like to use 90/10 ground beef for making meatballs, which means 90 percent lean beef to 10 percent beef fat. Having some fat in the mix ensures that your meatballs stay nice and moist, but if you use 80/20 (the kind of ground beef you’d use for cheeseburgers) the meatballs will be a little too fatty.
Binders: Breadcrumbs and eggs help your meatball mixture come together and stick together as you roll it into meatballs.
How To Make Meatballs
Prep! This meatball recipe makes use of one of our favorite tricks; grated onion! You’ll grate the onion with a box grater or your food processor with the grating attachment and then you’ll squeeze out all the liquid! That way, the meatballs get loads of onion flavor, but not too much moisture.
Gently mix ground beef, onion, garlic, eggs, parsley, breadcrumbs, cumin, oregano, cinnamon, salt and pepper. Using your hands to gently combine the meatball mixture ensures that you won’t overmix, and that’s a good thing. Overmixed meatballs are tough meatballs!
Use your hands (again) to roll the mixture into golf ball–sized balls and place them on the prepared sheet pans. You should have about 30 meatballs. This is a fun job to do with your kids, too, if you want a little help with meal prep!
Bake! We love baked meatballs, because they’re easier to make in big batches than pan-fried meatballs.
Tips For Making Perfect Meatballs
Keep a bowl of water next to you as you roll the meatballs, and wet your hands as you roll. Having wet hands as you roll meatballs keeps the meatball mixture from sticking to your hands. So simple, so genius! Once you’ve got the hang of it, you might try our other delicious Mediterranean meatball recipes, like Meatball Shakshuka and Chicken Shawarma Meatballs.
For a meatball with great texture, we always use both eggs and breadcrumbs to bind the mixture. We opted for panko breadcrumbs in this recipe because we love how light and airy they are, and they seem to keep our meatballs tender and moist.
Use a cookie scoop or a tablespoon to ensure all the meatballs stay the same size. They will cook more evenly this way.
How To Freeze Meatballs
Bake the meatballs, and let them cool. We like to freeze the meatballs on a cookie sheet so that each meatball gets totally frozen through, fast. Once they’re frozen, we pop them off the sheet pan and place them in a labeled freezer bag. They’ll be good for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to eat them, preheat the oven to 400°F with a rack in the center position, arrange the frozen (raw or cooked) meatballs on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and bake for 20 minutes.
Variations & Serving Ideas
We serve these Greek-inspired beef meatballs with a big bowl of creamy homemade tzatziki sauce for dipping. Mediterranean meatballs make a great, comforting family dinner, a fun, out-of-the-box dinner for company, or just a flavor-packed appetizer for your next party. You could also serve them:
Make these meatballs into Mediterranean meatball bowls by serving the meatballs and tzatziki sauce over a bed of perfect couscous.
Straight up with the tzatziki sauce and a Mediterranean Wedge Salad
As a meaty addition to this Roasted Cauliflower and Hummus Bowl
Wrapped in pita bread alongside onions, cucumber, tomatoes and a large dollop of Classic Creamy Hummus
As a main dish alongside this delicious Mediterranean Couscous Salad
More Easy Meatball Dinner Ideas
Meatballs & More!
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