Greek Meatballs with Feta

A close-up of a spoon holding a meatball over a pot filled with meatballs in tomato sauce, garnished with parsley.

Greek Meatballs with Feta

Juicy, tender Greek meatballs baked in a rich tomato sauce and finished under the broiler with feta. Inspired by both keftedes and soutzoukakia, this one-skillet dish uses a classic panade for unbeatable texture and a warm cumin-oregano spice blend for depth.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian-Inspired

Keyword Meatballs

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 55

Total Time 1 10

Servings

Calories 553kcal

Author Maria Koutsogiannis

Ingredients

For the meatballs

1 lb lean ground beef
3 thick slices bread, crust removed
¾ cup milk
1 medium yellow onion, grated (or 1/2 large onion)
4 garlic cloves, pressed
2 tsp kosher salt
½ tsp ground cumin
¼ tsp pepper
1 egg
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp dried oregano
½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese (or myzithra or kefalotyri cheese)

For the sauce

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 bay leaf
2 tsp onion powder
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp kosher salt
½ tsp ground pepper
2 tsp sugar
800 ml passata or polpa tomatoes

Garnishes

¾ cup crumbled feta cheese
Fresh mint and fresh parsley
Sourdough bread for serving

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375F.
Make the sauce: To a large oven safe skillet or braiser (that has a lid), heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the diced onion and saute for a few minutes until softened, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant. Add the bay leaf, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper and sugar, stir to combine. Pour in the passata and bring it to a simmer over medium-high heat. Turn to medium-low and keep at a simmer for about 10 minutes with the lid partially on the skillet/braiser, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat.
Make the meatballs: Remove the crust from the bread slices and soak in a bowl of 3/4 cup milk for 10 minutes. Once the bread is soaked, remove the bread from the milk and mix with the ground beef, grated onion, pressed garlic, salt, cumin, pepper, egg, olive oil, onion powder, dried oregano and freshly grated parmesan cheese. Knead well to combine the mixture. Let sit for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, scoop about 2 tablespoons at a time and form into meatballs – you’ll get 18-20 meatballs. Place the formed meatballs onto a plate and then set aside.
Bake the meatballs: Nestle the uncooked meatballs into the sauce, spreading them out evenly. Cover with the lid and bake for 20 minutes. Then remove the lid from the meatballs and place back in the oven for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, remove the bayleaf from the sauce and then crumble the feta cheese over top of the meatballs and turn the oven to broil. Broil for 3-5 minutes, until the cheese just begins to brown / get a little bit melty. Be sure to keep an eye on the cheese so it doesn't burn as some ovens are hotter than others.
Remove the meatballs from the oven and garnish with parsley and/or mint leaves. Serve with sourdough bread for dipping into the sauce.

Notes

We love to serve these meatballs with sourdough or pita for dipping and a side salad like our Maroulosalata Salad
If you love this recipe, try our Soutzoukakia: Greek Baked Meatballs + Potatoes in Tomato Sauce

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