Greek Meatballs with Tzatziki Sauce are perfect for dinner or an appetizer! Loaded with spices, lemon zest and even feta cheese, they are sure to please anyone who loves Greek flavors!
The past couple days the weather in Denver has been absolutely gorgeous! Mid 70’s, sunny, everything you dream about when you think of spring. Now here I am reading the weather forecast for the weekend and we have a 100% chance of snow tomorrow and a 70% chance Sunday with highs in the upper 30’s.
I can’t even explain how disappointing this is. Of course it’s expected, that’s spring in Colorado, but man was I sad when I read that! Instead of spending my weekend outside, I’ll be huddled up in my hoodie next to the fire. I’m just hoping it’s not as bad as the blizzard we got a few weeks ago.
Since grilling dinner and sitting outside on the deck (I had my eye on these Chicken Teritaki Skewers) is out of the question, the next best option is to make these Greek Meatballs with Tzatziki Sauce. I’ve been on a meatball kick lately. I think it’s because I love little bites that are packed with flavor, which is exactly what these meatballs are.
Generally I stick to using ground turkey when I make meatballs, but my husband loves beef so every now and then I treat him to it, plus it’s probably good for me to get a little extra iron in my diet. As another alternative you could use ground lamb. These Greek meatballs are full of flavor and include spices you might not be expecting.
The beef is seasoned with a combination of parsley, oregano, coriander, cumin and a touch of cinnamon. The warm spice of the cinnamon along with the coriander and cumin are so delicious with the fresh lemon zest and juice that are also in the meatballs.
Since these are Greek meatballs feta cheese is a must! I stuffed each meatball with a cube of feta, but if you don’t want to fuss with that just mix some crumbles in with the meat mixture. A good dip/sauce is a must with these meatballs and I couldn’t resist making tzatziki sauce, which is just one of the best sauces ever if you ask me. I used the same recipe that I used for these Greek Lemon Chicken Skewers. Hopefully you wont be confined to huddling by the fireplace this weekend, but if you are these Greek meatballs should help make staying inside more bearable.
More Meatball Recipes
Slow Cooker Teriyaki Meatballs
Skillet Meatballs in Marinara Sauce
Buffalo Chicken and Blue Cheese Stuffed Meatballs
Greek Meatballs with Tzatziki Sauce
Ingredients
Greek Meatballs
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs or gluten-free breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh leaf parsley
- 3 tablespoons grated onion
- 1 clove garlic, grated
- Zest of a lemon
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
- 2 ounces feta cheese, cubed or crumbled
Tzatziki Sauce
- 1 cup shredded cucumber
- 1 1/2 cups plain non-fat Greek yogurt
- Juice of half a lemon
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
- 1/2 teaspoon grated garlic or 1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic
- Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450° F. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray it with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl whisk together the panko, parsley, grated onion, garlic, lemon zest and juice, egg, spices, salt and pepper. If you aren't planning to stuff the meatballs with a cube of feta add the feta crumbles to the mixture.
- Add the ground beef to the mixture and combine with your hands being careful not to over-work the meat mixture. Form approximately 1 tablespoon sized meatballs. If you are stuffing the meatballs with feta, stuff a small cube of feta into the center of each meatball making sure it is completely covered.
- Place the meatballs on the prepared baking sheet, spray the tops with cooking spray, then place the baking sheet on the center rack of the oven and bake for approximately 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.
- Make the tzatziki sauce while the meatballs are baking by combining all of the ingredient in a medium sized bowl and stirring together until combined.
- Remove the meatballs from the oven and serve with the tzatziki sauce.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 362Total Fat: 16gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 150mgSodium: 192mgCarbohydrates: 13gFiber: 2gSugar: 4gProtein: 41g
These were SO GOOD! I used ground turkey and didn’t have coriander but they still turned out amazing. My gyro loving husband approved!
These were great! My husband said to add them to our recipes to repeat, which is big for him because he’s so passionate for food and will only repeat meals if they are full of flavor and taste great.
These turned out moist and were quick to throw together. I paid it with some naan, couscous and roasted asparagus, tomatoes, sliced almonds, and feta.
I’m so happy to hear that the meatballs were a hit Christian and that they’ve made it to your recipes to repeat!
Looks fabulous..but am wondering about the nutritional information. For instance it says 22g of fibre…but I don’t know where that is coming from. Makes me wonder about the other amounts..such as fat and carbs.
Still planning on making tonight!
Hi, I recalculated the nutritional information, hopefully the numbers are closer to what you were expecting. I believe you may have been looking at the carbs vs. fiber. Hope you enjoyed the meatballs!
Made these for a Greek Meze platter and dang are they good!!! So easy and so delish. Thanks!
Glad you liked them Kristin! Thanks for trying them out.
Hello these sound delicious can’t wait to make them. One question is there anything I can sub for the bread crumbs to make it more low carb friendly?
Hi Mandee. You can either omit the bread crumbs or you can sub in almond flour.
I will be making these for a work pot luck. I’m just wondering if you have any suggestions on how to keep them warm without drying them out? Warmer would work to keep warm but without a sauce I’m worried they’ll burn and/or dry out.
Hi Brandy. I think if you put them in a slow cooker and just have it on the warm setting (not low heat) they should be fine. Spray the inside with a little cooking spray just to ensure they don’t stick.
I love this recipe and have made them several times! sometimes I have used lamb and sometimes I have used beef, both ways are delicious! Always a hit and always delicious! But I have a question. I’m making them for a large dinner party tomorrow night and wanted to make them ahead today. Can I make them ahead today and refrigerate them to bake tomorrow when there is lemon juice in the recipe?
Hi Lela, Sorry I wasn’t able to get back to you yesterday. Since there’s only a couple tablespoons of lemon juice in the recipe it should be fine to make them in advance and bake off the next day. If you’re concerned you can always skip the juice and add extra lemon zest.
I just made these tonight and they were so delicious. I highly recommend this recipe!!!
Happy to hear you liked them Jill!
Oh
My
Goodness
I’ve never left a comment t on a recipe. This is the most amazing thing I’ve tasted in as long as I can remember.
Delicious delicious delicious. Please make these!!!!
Glad to hear you liked them Barbara! Thanks for trying the recipe.
I made these with lamb and left out the cumin, as I don’t care for it. I also used cilantro this time in place of parsley because I had some on hand. It was so delicious! This is going to be a regular in my cooking!
For some reason when I hear “Greek” meatballs I think “lamb”. So that’s what I used. I paid absolutely no attention to the ground beef in the recipe and carried on like it read ground lamb. As I reread the recipe after putting the ingredients together to make sure I didn’t leave out anything I then realized it was not lamb. Greatest recipe assumption I have ever made! DELICIOUS does not begin to describe how tasty and moist my meatballs were. I will continue with my “Greek” LAMB meatballs! ???????? Thanks for sharing!
I’m so glad you liked the meatballs Elizabeth and using lamb is definitely more traditional and a great alternative to beef. :-)
What can I serve with these meatballs for a dinner. Going to try them for the first time tonight. Any suggestions?
Hi Kim,
I usually serve mine with either this salad (you can skip the chickpeas if you don’t have time) https://reciperunner.com/greek-tomato-cucumber-salad-crispy-chickpeas/ or this tabbouleh salad https://reciperunner.com/tabbouleh-salad/. You could also do rice or cauliflower rice seasoned with dill, garlic and onion powder and a little lemon zest. Enjoy!
I just made these and they are amazing! So easy to make. Your recipe is now one of the recipes I will frequent often! Thank you so much for this!
I’m glad you liked them Susan and thank you for trying out the recipe!
Do you suppose this recipe would be as good if ground lamb were substituted for the beef?
Absolutely! Ground lamb would be a great substitute.
Have you tried freezing them?
Yes and they freeze great!
I made this recipe with the meat ingredients group and fried in a pan. They made great Greek “tacos” and my husband loved them!
My husband (and his work colleagues… he took the leftover to work on Melbourne Cup day) absolutely adored these meatballs! They’re so easy to make, and are a great alternative to italian-style meatballs.
I’ve made them twice so far!
Thanks so much, brilliant recipe.
I’m so glad your husband and colleagues enjoyed the meatballs Shar! Thanks for trying out the recipe. :-)
This recipe sounds amazing!! I was wondering, can I make these with ground lamb instead of ground beef?
Hi Amanda. I haven’t made these with lamb yet, but I’m sure they would be wonderful. I’d love to hear how they turn out if you decide to use it! :-)
is the 1/2 cup cucumber 1/2 after its been squeezed? or prior to squeezing?
I did 1/2 cup before squeezing it, but feel free to use more if you like extra cucs in your tzatziki. :-)
These meatballs look so good! I could see these being a great appetizer at a party–especially with that sauce!
Thanks Julia! Meatballs are always the appetizer I go for at a party!
Tzatziki is so delicious! Together with classic Greek meatballs it is a sure-fire winner at the table!
Thanks John. Tzatziki is one of my favorites!
This is so mouthwatering! I want to try this soon.
Thanks Taylor! We love our meatballs around here!
I LOVE tzatziki! These look so amazing and perfect for a party!
Thanks Marshie!
I come from a Greek family, so naturally I love tzatziki and Greek meatballs! I love this recipe, and how you stuck to the traditional Greek flavors– looks so delish!
Thanks Maria! I wish I had a Greek family so I could eat tons of authentic food!
I made these tonight (2/4/2020) and they were amazing! This recipe will definitely be made again and again for my family. Thank you!
I’m going to be craving these all day long now! They look amazing!
Thanks Rachel!