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    Mediterranean Meatballs with Tzatziki

    These tender Mediterranean Meatballs are served with our favorite simple tzatziki sauce and make for a delicious and unexpected weeknight dinner.

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    mediterranean beef meatballs in a bowl with tzatziki sauce

    Meatballs for Dinner Again? You Betcha!

    Loaded with classic Greek spices and herbs, these tender, beefy Mediterranean meatballs with tzatziki sauce don’t skimp on flavor. Quick, easy and a refreshing change of pace, this beef meatball recipe deserves a spot on your weekly meal plan (P.S. isn’t meal planning just a game changer?!).. They also provide for the most wonderful leftovers afterwards. Even better? These babies can be prepped ahead or frozen in advance until you’re ready to eat, so you’ll always have a hearty and healthy dinner on hand in a pinch.

    raw mediterranean meatballs on a baking sheet
    cooked mediterranean meatballs on a baking sheet

    How Do You Make Homemade Meatballs?

    You essentially just dump everything in a bowl, mix, and then roll the meatballs. BUT, there are a few things to keep in mind when making homemade meatballs that will help ensure that your recipe is successful:

    1. We like to use a classic “80/20” ground beef mixture for meatballs, which means 80 percent lean beef to 20 percent beef fat. Having some fat in the mix ensures that your meatballs stay nice and moist.
    2. This recipe comes together easily by combining all the ingredients into a bowl, then using a bowl of water to wet your hands as you roll the mixture into meatballs. This step is key to creating a smooth and uniform meatball and having wet hands as you roll the meatballs keeps the meatball mixture from sticking to your hands.
    3. Next, be sure to use a rimmed baking pan, because you don’t want any meatballs falling off the pan as they bake.

    What Makes These Meatballs Mediterranean?

    We love Greek food, and we’ve added all of our favorite classically-Greek herbs and spices to this meatball recipe. These Mediterranean meatballs are generously spiced with:

    • Onion
    • Garlic
    • Oregano
    • Cumin
    • Cinnamon
    • Parsley

    We also added some eggs and panko breadcrumbs to bring it all together.

    mediterranean beef meatballs in a bowl with tzatziki sauce and pita

    Tips For Making The Perfect Meatball.

    • For a meatball with great texture use eggs and breadcrumbs. We opted for panko in this recipe.
    • Use a small frying pan to cook off a little of your seasoned meatball mixture for taste testing. There’s nothing worse than a bland meatball. Fix your mistakes before it’s too late.
    • Use a cookie scoop or a (heaping) tablespoon to ensure all the meatballs stay the same size. They will cook more evenly this way

    How Should You Serve These Mediterranean Meatballs?

    We serve these Greek-inspired meatballs with a big bowl of creamy homemade tzatziki for dipping. Even homemade, this delicious yogurt sauce accompaniment comes together in a flash! These 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…

    1. Straight up with the tzatziki sauce and a Mediterranean Wedge Salad
    2. As a meaty addition to this Roasted Cauliflower and Hummus Bowl
    3. Wrapped in pita bread alongside onions, cucumber, tomatoes and a large dollop of Classic Creamy Hummus
    4. As a main dish alongside this delicious Mediterranean Couscous Salad
    mediterranean beef meatballs with tzatziki sauce on a plate with cucumber salad

    Tools You’ll Need:

    More Scrumptious Meatballs!

    mediterranean beef meatballs with tzatziki sauce on a plate with cucumber salad
    mediterranean beef meatballs with tzatziki sauce on a plate with cucumber salad

    Meatballs With Tzatziki Sauce For Dinner!

    If you make these baked Mediterranean meatballs with tzatziki we’d love to hear about it! Be sure to snap a photo, add it to your Instagram feed or stories and tag @themodernproper and #themodernproper if you do. Also, feel free to leave a comment on the post and tell your friends where you discovered the recipe!

    Related Recipes

    Mediterranean Meatballs with Tzatziki

    Originally published: September 24, 2018

    • Serves: 8
    • Prep Time:  15 min
    • Cook Time:  25 min
    • Calories: 264
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe

    Ingredients

    • 2 lbs ground beef
    • 1 onion, grated
    • 6 garlic cloves, minced
    • 1 tsp ground pepper
    • 2 tsp salt
    • 2 tsp cumin
    • 2 tsp oregano, dried
    • 1 tsp cinnamon
    • ½ cup flat leaf parsley, minced
    • 2 eggs
    • 1/2 cup panko or gluten free bread crumbs

    Tzatziki Sauce

    • 1 cup Greek yogurt
    • 1 small cucumber, grated
    • 1 tbsp dried dill
    • 2 tsp za'atar (optional)
    • 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
    • 1 lemon, juiced
    • 1/2 tsp sea salt
    • 1/4 tsp black pepper

    Method

    * This recipe makes 30 (golf ball) sized meatballs.

    1. Heat oven to 400° F. Place onion in a food processor or grate by hand.
    2. In a stand mixer or using your hands, mix the ground beef, onion, garlic, pepper, salt, cumin, oregano, cinnamon, eggs, panko and parsley until fully incorporated. Using a cookie scoop or heaping tablespoon, measure out roughly 30 meatballs. * Dipping your hand into a bowl of water before rolling them will make the meatball surface smooth. Transfer the meatballs to 2 lightly oiled parchment-lined rimmed baking sheets.
    3. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes, rotating the pans half way through.
    4. Meanwhile, make the tzatziki sauce. Mix all ingredients in a small bowl. Cover and place in the fridge for a 1 hour to allow flavors to meld.

    To Freeze:

    Allow meatballs to cool completely before freezing. Lay meatballs in a single layer in a freezer bag and seal, removing as much air as possible. Freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to use, preheat oven to 400°F. Arrange on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes.

    Nutrition Info

    • Per Serving
    • Amount
    • Calories264
    • Protein27 g
    • Carbohydrates9 g
    • Total Fat14 g
    • Dietary Fiber1 g
    • Cholesterol117 mg
    • sodium888 mg
    • Total Sugars2 g

    Mediterranean Meatballs with Tzatziki

    Questions & Reviews

    Join the discussion below.

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    • Jen

      I make these with ground moose or caribou. YUM!

      Delicious!

    • Monica

      Could this be made as a meatloaf?

      WE haven't tried but probably!

    • SP

      Hi. I've made this twice with ground beef. It's delicious. Can I make it with ground lamb?

      Thanks glad you like it! It would probably be great with lamb!

    • JJ

      Can I freeze these uncooked then bake from frozen? If so, any recommendation as far as time? Maybe 400 for 30 min then temp?

      Hi JJ, we usually cook ours before we freeze them but it should work fine to freeze them raw. Yes, 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes just make sure they are completely cooked through before removing them from the oven. Hope you enjoy!

    • Emily Woodford

      Have been SO into meatball recipes lately - I love making a big batch for dinners with leftovers to add to bowls, pita pockets, and salads all week for lunches. Totally trying these this week!

      Sounds perfect!

    • Keira

      I love this recipe. It’s one I keep coming back to that my husband especially. I have started switching the flat leaf parsley for cilantro and slightly reducing the cinnamon though and I find the flavor profile to be a little more how we prefer our Mediterranean. Cilantro substitution was just out of necessity once and it turned out to make these even tastier! I also reduced the cooking time and let them rest. Even the 20 minutes is a bit long.

      Thanks Keira, we are so glad you love this recipe!

    • Gigi Hepburn

      I loved these. They make a great flavorful addition to lots of dinners. My grandkids love them too!
      Gigi

      Thanks Gigi, so glad you love and the grandkids love them!

    • Marianne

      These were met with rave reviews! I'm just making them now for the second time. Had to use gluten free panko but no one seemed to mind.

      Thanks Marianne, that is so great to hear! So glad they were enjoyed and being made again!

    • Isabel

      I was looking spontaneously for a tasty - not boring - meatball recipe and found yours! These are AMAZING, great TASTE. We loved them and this will be our summer recipe too. Thank you!!

      Thank you Isabel! We are so happy you loved them so much! Glad you found our recipe!

    • Annat Shrabstein

      So easy to make, and my entire family loved it! I've tried making this with all beef, and also half beef half lamb and it worked great as well. The lamb goes well with the Mediterranean flavors, of course.

      Thanks Anna! We are so happy to hear the whole family loved it!