Greek Meatball Salad (Keftedes Salad)

This wonderfully refreshing yet filling dish is a combination of two classic Greek Dishes. Our Greek Meatball Salad combined the delicious tasting Greek Meatballs, known as Keftedes, with perhaps the most famous Greek Dish there is – the world-renowned Greek Salad. The result is a light and vibrant Salad that is packed full of flavor, with added heartiness brought to the table from those wonderful Meatballs. We top the whole dish off with a beautiful Greek Yoghurt dressing which rounds out the whole dish perfectly

What are Keftedes?

Simply put, Keftedes are a typical Meatball that has been coated in Flour before being pan fried until cooked throughout. They are remarkably simple to make, and you can fill them with whatever kind of filling and seasoning you like. For our Keftedes recipe we’re opted for a relatively classic approach, combining Ground Beef with Garlic, Salt, Pepper, and finely chopped Onions

For something a little different, however, we’ve added a touch of Sumac to the Meatballs. Sumac is not traditionally used in Greek Cooking, and is more commonly used in Middle Eastern cuisine

What I love about this spice is it adds a beautiful citrusy note to the Meatballs. Greek food is famous for their use of Lemons (which we also use in this dish), however adding Lemon Juice to the Meatball mixture is going to impact the texture and structural integrity of them. Sumac is a great alternative and tastes great!

Aim for around 85/15 fat content for the Ground Beef

Typically, Keftedes are lighter style Meatballs, and not ones that are going to be bathed in fat and get all greasy when cooking. This is a light and refreshing meal that’s hearty enough for a dinner – so opting for Ground Beef that has 10% or 15% fat content is the sweet spot. Just the right amount of fat to keep things tasty, but not overwhelming the dish with grease

You can also make this Greek Meatball Salad using Ground Lamb if you prefer. Lamb is a very popular protein in Greek cuisine and works wonders when making Keftedes Salad. The only watch out, however, is Ground Lamb is typically a little bit fattier than Beef. The trade off is of course, that amazing Lamb flavor that will work wonders in our Greek Meatball Salad

Making the Keftedes

In a mixing bowl combine the Ground Beef (or Lamb) with ½ Brown Onion which has been very finely diced, along with Salt, Pepper, and Garlic. You can either use Garlic Cloves or Garlic Powder; it’s up to you. I opted for Garlic Powder as it’s easier to prepare. If you want to use whole Garlic, just make sure you chop it very finely

Mix everything together and then form the Beef into balls that are slightly smaller than golf balls. You want to pack them pretty tightly, so they’ll hold their shape while being cooked. Finally, before frying, coat the balls with a light, yet even coating of AP Flour that’s been seasoned with some Salt

Cook the Keftedes over medium heat in the frying pan

Meatballs can be a little tricky to cook at times, as you need to ensure all sides are evenly cooked and the center isn’t raw. Try to avoid having the pan too hot, as this will help with the even cooking process. I like to give the Meatballs about 4 minutes in the pan before moving them around. Then, try rotating the meatballs every 1 ½ – 2 minutes until each side is slightly charred

Before removing all the Meatballs from the pan, take one out and test it for doneness. Simply cut it through the middle. If there is little to no pink left in the middle, they’re good to go. A little bit of pink is fine, but anything more than that just throw it back in the pan

Once cooked, set your delicious Keftedes / Greek Meatballs aside as we prepare the rest of the dish. It’s ok if the Meatballs cool a little, as this is a dish that is perfectly enjoyed warm, or even cold

Make a simple Yoghurt Dressing and Greek Salad to finish the dish

The remainder of this dish is very straight forward, following classic Greek recipes for an amazing Greek Salad and Yoghurt Dressing. For the dressing, simply combine Greek Yoghurt in a bowl with some freshly chopped Garlic, Lemon Juice, Lemon Zest, and Salt

Mix everything through and give it a taste. You may want to add a little more Lemon Juice (we usually do!) but it’ll all come down to personal taste. You want quite a sharp-tasting dressing as it’ll help cut through the richness of the Meatballs

For the Greek Salad, simply roughly chop up a combination of Tomatoes, Bell Peppers, and Cucumber and combine them in a bowl with some finely sliced Red Onion. I like to keep the Feta Cheese and Mint as a final garnish for the Greek Meatball Salad, but you can also mix them in at this point

Add about half the Yoghurt Sauce into the Salad and mix through. Reserve the remaining Greek Yoghurt as a side that you can serve at the table

Plating the Greek Meatball Salad

There’s no right or wrong way to plate this dish. Just get everything onto the plate and it’ll come out fine! This is a dish that doesn’t need a sophisticated plating, so you can have some fun with serving. The dish can be served warm, room temperature, or even cold. Totally your call

You can either serve the dish family style (one big bowl of everything in the center of the table) or individual bowls. For individual bowls, plate the Greek Salad and then top with a handful of Keftedes. Finish the dish with some crumbly Feta Cheese and fresh Mint Leaves. For a more filling dish, try serving your Greek Meatball Salad with a pile of warm Pita Bread and enjoy!

Greek Meatball Salad (Keftedes Salad) Recipe

Ingredients

• 400g Ground Beef
• ½ Brown Onion, finely diced
• 2 tsp. Garlic Powder (or finely chopped Garlic)
• 2 tsp. Salt
• 1 tsp. Black Pepper
• 1 tsp. Sumac
• ½ cup All Purpose Flour
  
  

Yoghurt Dressing Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups of Greek Yoghurt
• 3 Garlic Cloves, finely diced
• Juice of 1 Lemon
• Zest of ½ a Lemon
• Pinch of Salt
  
  

Greek Salad Ingredients

• 6 Tomatoes, deseeded and diced
• 1 Cucumber, deseeded and diced
• 1 Bell Pepper, diced
• ½ Red Onion, finely sliced
• ¼ cup of Fresh Mint
• 2 tbsp. Feta Cheese
  
  

Instructions

1. Combine the Beef with the Brown Onion, Garlic, Salt, Pepper, and Sumac in a large bowl and mix well. Form the Beef into balls slightly smaller than golf balls
2. Add the Flour into a separate bowl and season with a pinch of Salt. Coat the Balls with Flour then dust off any excess Flour before setting aside
3. Heat the Oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Once hot, add the Balls and fry for 4 minutes until they begin to darken on one side. Flip and continue cooking for 2 minutes, turning until all sides are caramelized. The whole cook time should take about 8 – 10 minutes
4. Remove one Ball from the pan and cut through it, ensuring it’s cooked all the way through (only a slight pinkish color should remain in the middle). If uncooked, continue to cook the remaining Meatballs until completely cooked. Once cooked, set aside on a paper towel
5. Combine the Yoghurt Dressing ingredients together in a bowl and then taste for seasoning. Adjust to your preference then set aside
6. Mix the Greek Salad Ingredients (excluding the Mint) in a large Salad Bowl. Add half the Yoghurt mixture and mix through
7. Serve the Salad into individual bowls and top with a few Meatballs. Crumble over some Feta Cheese and finish with a few Mint Leaves. Serve with the remaining Yoghurt Sauce on the side
   
   

Recipe Notes

• You can replace Ground Beef with Ground Lamb when making the Keftedes
• You can serve the dish hot or cold, both will taste great
  
  

Our simple Greek Meatball Salad with traditional Keftedes Meatballs is a fantastic way to enjoy those classic Greek Flavors in a light and healthy meal. The Yoghurt Dressing really brings everything together, and is a welcome addition to this wonderful dish

For more tasty dinners that are light and refreshing, try these amazing recipes:

• Poached Chicken Salad with Garlic Anchovy Dressing
• Roast Beef Arugula Salad with Parmesan and Salsa Verde
• Greek Pasta Salad
• Roast Vegetable Lentil Salad
  
  

Happy Cooking!