Soutzoukakia – Greek meatballs in rich tomato sauce spiced with cumin and cinnamon. Perfect as meze for sharing or a main meal.
Love meatballs? Check out my Swedish Meatballs 🙂
I have been daydreaming about holidays in Greece of late. Maybe it’s the sunnier weather, or the fact that I haven’t had a proper holiday in ages, but suddenly all I can think of is lazy afternoons spent in the sun and of all the amazing food.
All this nostalgia had to go somewhere, so I made some soutzoukakia – Greek meatballs in rich tomato sauce. If you have ever tasted soutzoukakia in Greece you are almost guaranteed to have fond memories – it’s a deceptively simple dish that packs a lot of flavour despite the few ingredients.
A lot of the flavour can be attributed to the ground cumin and cinnamon that are used to spice the meatball sauce and to the garlic which is also plentiful. In fact this recipe is quite rich and I prefer to eat it as meze rather than a main meal.
It is great for sharing with some pitta bread to dip into the rich sauce (and wipe the plates clean). But you can also serve it as a main meal with rice, mash or even homemade fries.
I remember joyfully dipping those into the sauce when I was growing up in Greece. So, until that next holiday, I may have to recreate a few more sunny dishes and daydream some more…
HAVE YOU MADE MY GREEK MEATBALLS?
Post a photo on my Facebook page, share it on Instagram, or save it to Pinterest with the tag #supergoldenbakes. I can’t wait to see your take on it!
MORE GREEK RECIPES TO TRY
- Slow cooker Greek lamb kleftiko with potatoes
- Kokinisto – Greek Beef stew in tomato sauce
- Greek orzo pasta salad with tomatoes and feta
- Sheet pan Greek bifteki with potatoes
Soutzoukakia – Greek meatballs in rich tomato sauce
Ingredients
- 450 g | 1 lbs minced beef
- 100 g | 3 1/2oz stale bread cubed
- 120 ml | 1/2 cup red wine
- 1 large egg
- 2 shallots peeled and finely diced
- 2 large garlic cloves minced
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 onion granules optional
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 3 tbsp flour
- 3 tbsp light olive oil to fry
- fresh thyme to garnish
For the tomato sauc
- 3 tbsp light olive oil
- 1 red onion peeled and finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- red wine see method
- 400 g | 14oz tin tomatoes in tomato sauce
- 80 ml | 1/3 cup water
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp red wine vinegar
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- salt and freshly ground pepper
Instructions
- Soak the bread cubes in the wine. Leave to stand for a few minutes then squeeze dry and put the bread in a large bowl, reserving the wine to use in the sauce.
- Add the mince, egg, shallots, garlic, cumin, onion granules, salt and herbs in the bowl with the bread and mix together thoroughly.
- Form the meatballs with slightly wet hands – about the size of a walnut. You can form them into little balls or rugby ball shapes.
- Put the flour on a large plate and roll the meatbals in it to coat. Roll them in your hands again to remove excess flour.
- Heat the oil in a large frying pan and then fry the meatballs, in batches in necessary, until browned on all sides. Use two tablespoons to gently flip the meatballs over – they can be a little delicate.
- Remove from the pan, set aside on a plate and clean the pan to use for the sauce.
- Heat the oil for the sauce and then cook the onion and garlic over low heat for 10 minutes.
- Add the cumin and cinnamon sticks.
- Add the reserved red wine and increase the heat until it is boiling.
- Blitz the tomatoes in a blender for a smoother sauce (or you can also use passata) and add to the pan together with the water, sugar and vinegar.
- Simmer for 15 minutes then add the meatballs to the sauce and simmer for a further 20-30 minutes until cooked through. Add a splash of water if the pan gets too dry.
- Serve garnished with fresh thyme, with steamed rice, mash or fries as a main or with pitta bread as a meze.
Nutritional Info
Kim says
We made this tonight and it was absolutely fantastic! The meatballs were so flavorsome and moist, and the sauce was next-level! Putting it on our regular rotation – thank you for sharing!
Chloe says
Thank you so much for this recipe! Made it tonight and we all loved it!
CJ says
Nice – I added stock and did it with lamb and no breadcrumbs… worked just as well
Ren says
Desperately craving these. Lucy! They look delicious.
Lucy Parissi says
They are a must! I think polenta would also go really well with them.
Dorothy at Shockingly Delicious says
That sauce looks and sound rich and delicious!
Kristina @ Love & Zest says
These look absolutely amazing. Thanks for sharing.
Dahn says
These sound utterly delicious and they have ME dreaming of taking a holiday in Greece.
Debra C. says
Pure comfort food right! I would love a bowlful of these amazing meatballs – the combination of spices isn’t a combo that I’ve tried before, I can only imagine how delicious these would be and how amazing the house would smell!!
Amy says
These meatballs sound wonderful. I love the combo of cinnamon and cumin together and the tomato sauce sounds so delicious and inviting. Can’t wait to try it!