Greek Meatballs in Tangy Tomato Sauce make a great appetizer, game day snack or dinner entree.
Filled with rice instead of breadcrumbs, these meatballs, called Keftethes, are a tasty gluten free entree that you can make ahead, uncooked and refrigerate for a few days or freeze for up to a month. For a low carb option, just leave out the rice. When you need a last minute dinner or appetizer option, just brown meatballs in the skillet or oven, then heat through with homemade tangy tomato sauce or this easy tomato sauce. Or use your favorite ready made sauce, such as Classico Tomato and Basil.
An old fashioned comfort food, meatballs are found in every country from China to Greece.
This ancient Roman cookbook, called the Apicius, contains a recipe for meatballs dating back to the late 4th or early 5th Century CE.
If you like meatballs but are accustomed to making meatballs with Italian flavors, you’ll be delighted with this Roman combination of parsley, mint, onion, garlic and just a kiss of cinnamon. It’s so subtle you can barely taste it but gives the meatballs an intriguing, delicately different taste I love.
The secret to cooking confidence is organization.
Measure, chop and lay out all your ingredients-
so you won’t forget anything when you start making the meatballs.
I like to mix together:
rice, vegetables, spices and egg first
and then add in the meat
so that I don’t overmix
(which can make the meatballs heavy and tough).
Fry in a little olive oil in two batches or bake on two baking sheets in a preheated 350 F oven for thirty minutes.
The fried meatballs (on the left) are a little prettier, because they are brown on both sides and rounder.
However, the baked meatballs (on the right) have less oil and fewer calories.
Try it both ways like I did and see which method you prefer.
Drain on paper towels to soak up the excess oil.
Easy to make, light and tangy, this gorgeous tomato sauce gets its zing from capers, lemon zest, white wine and Greek yogurt.
Dig in to Greek Meatballs with Tangy Tomato Sauce.
A new twist on a very OLD comfort food you can incorporate into your favorite sauces, soups, snacks or meal time.
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Contact me anytime at dana@diginwithdana.com.
[tasty-recipe id=”7695″]
Serves 16
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