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“Made a double batch of these and they were a huge hit with my Greek husband and 6 year old son. Thank you so much for sharing the recipe! I will be adding this into my regular meal plan repertoire.” ~Camille
Greek meatballs in lemon sauce are melt-in-your-mouth tender!
Greek meatballs in lemon sauce has been on my list of things to make for a while, and when a reader, Alexandra, emailed me her favorite recipe yesterday I leapt into action. Alexandra was born in Athens, and now lives outside the city of Veria, in northern Greece. She follows tvfgi and thought I would like these…she was right! These meatballs have so much flavor, and a divine tender bite, they almost melt in your mouth.
the secrets to these amazing lemony meatballs
Several things make these meatballs uniquely tender and delicious
- For one thing, they’re made with a mix of ground pork and lamb, and ground pork cooks up especially tender, so any time you add it to beef or lamb you will get a lighter texture.
- This recipe also calls for cooked rice, and it does a wonderful job of lightening the meat mixture. I think it works much better than the classic breadcrumbs we tend to use.
- The mixture gets a huge amount of flavor from the herbs, especially the fresh mint, and so even before you dip these in the sauce, they’re fabulous.
My best tip for working with ground meats
Most recipes will tell you to mix ground meats for meatballs, burgers, and meatloaves by hand. And I did it that way for years. But I’ve found a better way!
I now use my Kitchenaid Mixer and it’s a game changer. The paddle attachment is just perfect for getting everything incorporated without over-mixing, and it saves so much hand washing! I think it did a better job than I do, because I usually can’t wait to get my hands OUT of the bowl and I don’t always get everything thoroughly mixed.
this recipe is slightly adapted from Herbs in Cooking, by Maria and Nikos Psilakis.
It’s a gem that I never would have found if Alexandra, hadn’t sent it along, thanks a million Alexandra! She says “It’s so-very-Greek and so-very-traditional! I have done it for many occasions and it works just fine as is. I’ve served it as a starter at a formal dinner at home; also as an appetizer with just one ball swimming in the sauce, and of course as the main meal of the day as comfort food…” I agree.
More Greek inspired recipes
- Grilled Chicken Greek Salad
- How to Make Tzatziki Dip
- Shrimp in Lemon Sauce with Olives
- Chicken in Lemon Sauce with Olives
- Greek Lemon Potato Salad
- Chopped Greek Salad
- Baked Feta Cheese
Greek Meatballs in Lemon Sauce
Ingredients
meatballs
- 1/2 lb ground lamb
- 1/2 lb ground pork
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 1/2 cup cooked rice
- 1/2 yellow onion, minced
- 1 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh dill
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh mint leaves, 1 small 2/3 ounce plastic package
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
- 1/2 tsp onion salt
lemon sauce
- 3 eggs
- juice of 2 1/2 – 3 lemons
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Put all the meatball ingredients into a large mixing bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix everything thoroughly, but gently. Don’t over mix or compact the meat.
- Cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours.
- Scoop the meat mixture out into 1 1/2 inch sized balls, and roll smooth with your hands. Set on a platter.
- Put about 4 1/2 cups of water in a stock pot with a wide bottom. Bring the water to a boil, then set the meatballs in the water, one by one. Do this carefully, they can be fragile. The water should almost cover the meatballs, but not quite. Turn the heat down and simmer, covered, for about 15 minutes. Don't let the water boil furiously. Do this in stages if your pot is not large enough.
- Remove the cooked meatballs to a fresh platter and keep warm.
- While the meatballs are cooking whisk the eggs well in a medium sized bowl, whisk in the lemon juice and salt.
- Remove 2 cups of the meatball cooking liquid and strain. While whisking the egg and lemon mixture, ladle about 1/2 cup of the hot liquid into the eggs to temper them. Then slowly add the rest of the liquid, stirring as you add. Pour the sauce into a clean saucepan and gently cook for a few more minutes, but don’t let the sauce come to a boil, or even a simmer.
- Serve the meatballs in shallow bowls on top of the sauce. Garnish with fresh parsley.
Notes
- My store was inexplicably out of fresh dill so I used (gasp) dried, and it was fine. I used a heaping tablespoon, maybe a little more.
- Make sure your onions and herbs are nice and finely chopped, I used a small food processor.
- If you by any chance get a few curdled eggs bits in your sauce, don’t panic, just strain it through a fine mesh strainer and you’ll be good to go.
- Leftovers can be reheated gently. The sauce should not come to a boil.
Nutrition
Divine! I can see why this jumped the queue. This recipe is going to be so popular! I love lemon especially in the Spring and Summer and nothing beats meatballs! The flavors sound mouthwatering, Sue. Thank you to you and your reader, Alexandra for a fabulous dish. 🙂
I’m glad this recipe muscled its way in! 😀 Looks great! Will be trying it for sure. Thanks for sharing.
This looks amazing!! We love meatballs in our home so this is the perfect recipe. Thank you!
Great tip on mixing with the paddle attachment! The meatball and lemon sauce combo looks spectacular!!!
Thanks Liz — i actually made a double recipe, and the machine did a great job.
We love all things Greek in our house. My OH is addicted to meatballs. The cream sauce looks delicious. Love it!
Thanks Mica — the sauce is awesome, I love the translucent yellow color, too.
I love everything Greek. I am totally going to make these!
Thanks Kristen, I had forgotten how much I love Greek food, what a wonderful light touch they have with everything.
I adore avgolemono soup, so these meatballs sound absolutely delicious, and easy enough for a weeknight, too!
I meant to link to my avgolemono soup! i think this can be made as a soup, too.
Meatballs in lemon sauce?! That’s a new one for me. I’ve always had a tomato based sauce before. I love Greek food though so this looks right up my street :’)
Let me know what you think Emma.
Need suggestions if you don’t eat pork & need suggestions if you don’t eat beef at all but do eat poultry.
Hmmm, I think chicken or turkey would work well here…I might suggest using the ground dark meat.
My mouth is watering (and it’s not yet 10 AM!). Love all the herbs and your lemon sauce… my Greek neighbors would approve :).