When my husband and I first started dating (after walking across the country together … really), we had the chance to travel around Europe a little. We tried as many new cuisines as we could, and one of the best meals we had was at a delicious Greek restaurant in downtown Brussels, Belgium. I’ve never been able to find Greek food that good since then, so I’ve been experimenting with recipes.
This is my take on Greek meatballs with cucumber sauce or keftedes with tzatziki sauce as it was called over there. I love the subtle flavors of the fennel and mint, with the slight citrus hint. My kids even liked this recipe, and I’d encourage you to give it a try!
We especially love this recipe during the summer when cucumber, fennel, and mint are fresh and available at the farmers markets. I love the savory flavors of the meat paired with the slightly sweet and citrusy flavors of the tzatziki sauce. Leftover meatballs are also wonderful on salads for lunches, just use tzatziki sauce for dressing.
If you’d like a bigger version, I also have a Greek meatloaf recipe with similar flavors. The herbs and spices I use for this recipe and many others can be found on my resources page.
Not in the mood for these? Check out my full recipe index for recipes for meals, snacks or drinks.
Greek Meatballs Recipe
Ingredients
Meatballs:
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 1 large onion (grated)
- ¼ cup almond flour
- 1 TBSP fennel greens (finely chopped)
- 1 TBSP fennel bulb (finely chopped)
- 2 eggs
- 1 TBSP lemon juice
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- ¼ tsp fresh mint (finely diced)
- 1 clove garlic (minced)
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- salt and pepper (to taste)
Tzatziki Sauce:
- 1 cup greek yogurt
- 1 TBSP garlic (minced)
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 cucumber (finely chopped)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients for the meatballs and mix with hands. Add any extra almond flour if needed to make thick enough to form into meat balls.
- Form into 1 inch meatballs and place on an oiled baking sheet or in a large baking dish.
- Bake in the oven for approximately 30-40 minutes or until cooked through.
- While baking, whisk together the ingredients for the sauce.
- Serve meatballs with the yogurt sauce.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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Hi Katie, greetings from Greece and congratulations on the wonderfullness that is your site!
Keftedes with tzatziki is a favourite summer meal here – just sending my Greek input:
– For those who eat other red meat, the keftedes are decidedly tastier when using ground beef or a 50-50 mix of beef and pork. Also, we dont use fennel in the meatballs here, but dried mint and fresh parsley (or dried oregano & fresh parsley)
– Tzatziki is great with the addition of fresh chopped dill and a dash of plain red wine vinegar instead of lemon, and don’t forget the olive oil! Another tip I was given by a chef who made the best tzatziki I ever tasted: put half the cucumber you’re using through the garlic press and grate the rest on the largest hole side. Fresh garlic is always superior to garlic powder, especially in tzatziki.
Happy cookings!
I was hoping someone with Greek cooking knowledge would come along and add the dill and mint!! The parsley is great too! Thank you.
Doubled the fennel and mint, and still pretty bland. The turkey was very soft when forming meatballs, and a messy goo formed all over the bottom of the pan. Suggest doubling all spices or more and using a rack, and maybe using lamb instead of turkey.
Might try making these but on meatball kebabs! I think it would make a good appetizer !