Description
These Meze Meatballs are a delightful Mediterranean-inspired dish featuring tender beef or lamb meatballs infused with oregano and fresh herbs. They are pan-fried to golden perfection and served with a refreshing cucumber, tomato, and red onion salad alongside creamy hummus and tzatziki, all wrapped up in warm toasted pittas for a perfect casual meal.
Ingredients
Scale
Meatballs
- 100g breadcrumbs
- 50ml milk
- 400g beef or lamb mince
- 1 egg
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- Small bunch of flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
- 1 onion, coarsely grated
- 2 garlic cloves, finely grated
- 2 tbsp plain flour
- 2 tbsp olive oil
Salad
- ½ cucumber, chopped into chunks
- 12 cherry tomatoes, quartered
- 1 red onion, finely sliced
To Serve
- Hummus
- Tzatziki
- 4 pittas
Instructions
- Soak breadcrumbs: Put the breadcrumbs in a bowl and add the milk. Leave for 5 minutes, or until the milk has been absorbed.
- Prepare meatball mixture: Add the beef or lamb mince, egg, dried oregano, chopped parsley, grated onion, and grated garlic to the soaked breadcrumbs. Season well with salt and pepper and mix everything thoroughly with your hands.
- Shape meatballs: Shape the mixture into meatballs a bit larger than a cherry tomato, aiming for about 24 meatballs. Cover and chill them for at least 30 minutes. They can be kept covered and chilled for up to 24 hours.
- Coat meatballs: When ready to cook, tip the flour into a shallow bowl. Roll each meatball in the flour to coat evenly.
- Fry meatballs: Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Fry the meatballs for 10-12 minutes, turning them frequently to brown all sides and ensure they are cooked through.
- Prepare salad: In a bowl, combine chopped cucumber, quartered cherry tomatoes, and finely sliced red onion to make the fresh salad.
- Toast pittas and serve: Toast the pittas. Arrange the cooked meatballs on a platter with the salad, hummus, and tzatziki. Let everyone assemble their own meatball kebab by stuffing meatballs, salad, and dips into the warm pittas.
Notes
- You can prepare the meatballs up to 24 hours ahead of cooking to save time.
- Ensure meatballs are cooked to an internal temperature of 70°C (160°F) for food safety.
- For a gluten-free option, substitute the plain flour and breadcrumbs with gluten-free versions.
- Add a dash of chili flakes to the meatball mixture if you like a bit of heat.
- Use fresh herbs like mint or dill in the salad for extra flavor variations.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Frying
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
Keywords: meatballs, Mediterranean, beef meatballs, lamb meatballs, appetizer, main dish, hummus, tzatziki, pita bread, meze
