Greek Meatballs (Keftedes)
These Keftedes (Greek Meatballs) are crispy on the outside and super juicy within! Made with lean turkey mince, red onion, feta, wholemeal breadcrumbs, mint and oregano. Serve as appetiser or mezze spread with tzatziki and Greek salad or turn into a meal. These healthy meatballs are perfect for Slimming World!
Servings: 5
Calories: 361kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lb (675g) ground turkey or ground beef and pork
- 1 cup (90g) fresh breadcrumbs
- 1 large egg
- 1 red onion , minced
- ⅔ cup (100g) feta cheese , finely crumbled
- 2 tbsp mint leaves , chopped
- 1 tbsp finely chopped parsley
- 1 tsp lemon zest (optional)
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 2 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
To pan fry
- Put your ground turkey into a large bowl and add the breadcrumbs, onion, egg, crumbled feta cheese, herbs, lemon zest. garlic powder and salt.1 ½ lb (675g) ground turkey, 1 cup (90g) fresh breadcrumbs, 1 large egg, 1 red onion, ⅔ cup (100g) feta cheese, 2 tbsp mint leaves, 1 tbsp finely chopped parsley, 2 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp dried oregano, 1 tsp lemon zest
- Use a wooden spoon to roughly combine everything together then use your hands to mix well for a few minutes. If you have time cover the bowl and pop in the fridge for 30 minutes. It will make it easier to roll the meatballs.
- Roll the meatballs with slightly damp hands – they should be about the size of a ping pong ball (1.57” | 4cm). This recipe makes 35 meatballs.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet or frying pan and fry in batches over medium heat. The meatballs will need 5-6 minutes per side until they are nicely browned on all sides and cooked all the way through.2 tbsp olive oil
Bake in the oven
- Spread the meatballs on a baking tray covered with greaseproof paper and spray with a little cooking oi.
- Bake in a 350°F (180°C) preheated oven for about 20 minutes, flipping over half way through.
Video
Notes
- Freezing raw meatballs: Place on a tray lined with greaseproof paper, spaced slightly apart. Put the tray in the freezer for a few hours until the meatballs are solid. Pop the frozen meatballs in an airtight container or freezer bags and use within a month. Thaw overnight in the fridge (in a single layer) then cook.
- Freezing cooked meatballs: Cool the cooked meatballs then pop them in freezer bags labeled with the date. Use within three months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and then heat until completely hot all the way through, or add them to pasta sauce.
- Slimming World: Feta cheese is part of your Healthy Extras (a) and wholemeal bread is a Healthy Extra (b). All other ingredients are free so I think we can call these SYN FREE if fried using low calorie cooking spray or baked in the oven.
Nutrition
Calories: 361kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 34g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 162mg | Sodium: 903mg | Potassium: 409mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 375IU | Vitamin C: 6.3mg | Calcium: 148mg | Iron: 3.6mg
