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
Prep
Cook
Total
Yield 20 meatballs
Delicious Greek meatballs with fennel, mint, lemon, and garlic.
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
- pinch of 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
Serve on toothpicks as an appetizer or on a salad with tomato, cucumber, feta, and tzatziki sauce as a dressing.
Courses Main
Cuisine Greek
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 3 meatballs
Amount Per Serving | ||
|---|---|---|
Calories 400 | ||
% Daily Value | ||
Total Fat 15.8 g | 24% | |
Saturated Fat 6 g | 30% | |
Cholesterol 145 mg | 48% | |
Sodium 970 mg | 40% | |
Total Carbohydrates 16.4 g | 5% | |
Dietary Fiber 1.1 g | 4% | |
Sugars 13 g | ||
Protein 50.5 g | 101% | |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
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