Meatballs In Lemon Sauce (Greek Keftedes)
Tender Greek-style meatballs blended with pork and beef simmered in a citrusy lemon butter sauce. Perfectly juicy, herb-packed keftedes made faster using a pressure cooker.
Equipment
- 1 Mixing bowl Large
Ingredients
Main ingredients
- Olive oil for frying and aroma
- 200 g Ground pork
- 400 g Lean ground beef
- 1 Large egg
- 100 g Crustless bread soaked in white wine
- 125 ml White wine for soaking bread
- 100 g Minced onion
- 4 cloves Garlic minced
- 0.5 teaspoon Ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon Dried oregano plus extra to serve
- 2 teaspoon Dried parsley or fresh, minced
- 1 teaspoon Fine sea salt plus extra for sauce
- 0.5 teaspoon Ground pepper plus extra for sauce
- 4 tablespoons Butter for sauce
- 4 tablespoons All-purpose flour for sauce
- 500 ml Hot water or stock vegetable, beef, or chicken
- 8-10 tablespoons Lemon juice
Instructions
Instructions
- Soak crustless bread in white wine until soft, then squeeze out excess and crumble.
- Combine pork, beef, egg, onion, garlic, soaked bread, cumin, oregano, parsley, salt, and pepper. Mix well.
- Shape mixture into walnut-sized meatballs. Refrigerate 1 hour to firm.
- Heat olive oil and fry meatballs in batches until browned. Drain on paper towels.
- In separate pan, melt butter over medium heat, add flour, stir for 2–3 minutes until golden.
- Slowly whisk in hot stock and lemon juice. Stir until smooth, then simmer.
- Add meatballs to sauce, cover, and cook for 20–25 minutes until tender and flavors meld. Serve warm with extra oregano.
Notes
Start with 6-8 tablespoons lemon juice in the sauce and adjust to taste. Refrigerate leftovers for up to 4 days, or freeze with sauce for longer storage. Reheat gently with a splash of water or stock to rehydrate.