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Greek meatballs in lemon sauce served in white bowl with fresh herbs and lemon wedges

Greek Meatballs in Lemon Sauce (Keftedes)

Fluffy, tender meatballs in creamy lemon sauce using traditional Greek wine-soaked bread technique
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Chilling Time 1 hour
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings: 4 portions
Course: Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine: Greek, Mediterranean
Calories: 425
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 7 oz ground pork
  • 14 oz lean ground beef 85/15 recommended
  • 1 large egg
  • 3.5 oz crustless bread torn into pieces
  • ½ cup white wine
  • ½ cup yellow onion finely minced
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • ½ tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp dried oregano plus extra for serving
  • 2 tsp dried parsley or fresh minced
  • 1 tsp fine sea salt plus extra for sauce
  • ½ tsp black pepper plus extra for sauce
  • olive oil for frying
  • 4 tbsp butter
  • 4 tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups hot water or stock vegetable, beef, or chicken
  • 8-10 tbsp fresh lemon juice

Equipment

  • Large mixing bowl
  • Large skillet
  • Sauté pan
  • Wooden spatula

Method
 

  1. Tear bread into smaller pieces and soak in white wine for 2-3 minutes. Combine both meats, egg, onion, garlic, cumin, oregano, parsley, salt, and pepper in large mixing bowl.
  2. Add soaked bread mixture to meat, crumbling as much as possible. Knead until uniform, about 2 minutes.
  3. Shape into 15 oval meatballs (about 2.5 oz each) and place on plate. Refrigerate 1 hour to firm up.
  4. Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium heat. Sear meatballs without moving for 4 minutes, then turn with two forks. Cook 3-4 minutes until browned all over.
  5. Transfer meatballs to paper towels. In sauté pan, melt butter over moderate heat, add flour, cook 2-3 minutes until nutty and sandy-colored.
  6. Slowly whisk in hot stock and lemon juice until smooth. Add meatballs, cover, simmer 20 minutes, turning once. Serve warm with pepper and oregano.

Notes

Traditional Greek technique uses wine-soaked bread for fluffy texture. Can substitute wine with milk if preferred. Mixture can be refrigerated up to 3 days before shaping.