Greek Meatballs in Tomato Sauce — Soutzoukakia

Saucy Soutzoukakia are pure comfort food

To say meatballs are one of my favorite comfort foods would be an understatement. I love them with any type of ground meat, served alone, or Keftedes served with tzatziki on a mezze spread. I make them all the time for my Los Angeles personal chef clients because they are so versatile, delicious, and freeze well. But one of my favorite ways to eat them is in tomato sauce full of savory spices like in this Soutzoukakia recipe. 

History of Soutzoukakia

Soutzoukakia is an iconic Greek dish of braised meatballs in a spiced tomato sauce that comes from the Greeks who lives in the Asia Minor, or present day Turkey. The full Greek name for this dish is Soutzoukakia Smyrneika. The Smyrneika in the name is for Smyrna, or present day Izmir, Turkey. The Greeks who were refugees when the Turks burned Smyrna in 1922 (the event that decidedly ended the Greco-Turkish War) brought this recipe back to Greece and across the world with them.

Savory spices

While cooking meatballs in tomato sauce may seem link an incredibly Italian application, this tastes much different from traditional meatballs marinara. The spiced in the sauce are what really distinguish this dish. Ground cumin, cinnamon, and smoked paprika along with a dash of hot chili flakes infuse the sauce with a depth that brings your palate directly to the region. When I was living with Sicily, I cooked this for my Sicilian roommates because it was similar to the meatballs they were familiar with, but the spices in the sauce took it in a totally different direction.

How to serve 

You can serve this dish as part of a mezze platter with lots of crusty bread to soak up the sauce. But I recommend it as a main course. Serve it over rice, or even some saffron infused rice. It also pairs nicely with potatoes, either mashed or roasted.

Greek Meatballs in Tomato Sauce — Soutzoukakia

Yum

Cuisine Greek, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern

Category Appetizer Entree Greek Easter Recipes Greek Food Greek Recipes Recipes

Persons

4

Prep Time

20 minutes

Cook Time

45 minutes

Total Time

1 hour, 5 minutes

To say meatballs are one of my favorite comfort foods would be an understatement. I love them with any type of ground meat, served alone, or Keftedes served with tzatziki on a mezze spread. I make them all the time for my Los Angeles personal chef clients because they are so versatile, delicious, and freeze well. But one of my favorite ways to eat them is in tomato sauce full of savory spices like in this Soutzoukakia recipe. 

Ingredients

For the meatballs:

• 1 pound ground beef or lamb
• 1 red onion, grated
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 egg
• 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 parsley bunch, chopped
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper

For the sauce:

• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (or one cinnamon stick)
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup red wine
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed chili flakes

Instructions

Make the meatballs:

1. In a large bowl, add beef, red onion, 2 garlic cloves, vinegar, parsley, egg, panko, 2 teaspoons cumin, 1 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Mix to combine. I like using my hands for this.
2. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. On a baking sheet lined with foil or parchment (optional, but makes for easy cleanup), portion out a 1/8 cup scoop of meat into an oval-shaped meatballs. I like using an ice cream/cookie scoop for this to make my meatballs all the same size.
3. Bake for 15 minutes.
4. While the meatballs are cooking, start making the sauce.

Make the sauce:

1. In a large deep pan or Dutch oven over medium heat, cook onion and garlic in olive oil with salt and pepper for about 5 minutes, until the onions become translucent. Stir often. Make sure not to burn the garlic.
2. Add in tomato paste, cinnamon, cumin, smoked paprika, and chili flakes. Cook for another 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
3. Stir in one and crushed tomatoes. Thoroughly combine. Cover and simmer the sauce for 10 minutes.
4. Add the cooked meatballs to the sauce. Submerge in the sauce as much as possible. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
5. Serve alone, with crusty bread, or over rice or mashed potatoes as a main course.

Notes

You can serve this dish as part of a mezze platter with lots of crusty bread to soak up the sauce. But I recommend it as a main course. Serve it over rice, or even some saffron infused rice. It also pairs nicely with potatoes, either mashed or roasted.

Share on social

© 2024 © Christina Xenos

Nutrition Facts

Greek Meatballs in Tomato Sauce — Soutzoukakia

Serves: 4 servings

Amount Per Serving:
Calories		517.79 kcal
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 29.02 g		44.6%
	Saturated Fat 9.62 g	45%
	Trans Fat 1.34 g
Cholesterol 120.5 mg		40%
Sodium 1045.34 mg		43.5%
Total Carbohydrate 37.12 g		12.3%
	Dietary Fiber 7.44 g	28%
	Sugars 12.88 g
Protein 27.76 g

Vitamin A 15.73 %		Vitamin C 49.88 %
Calcium 20.62 %		Iron 47.04 %

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Sweet Greek Personal Chef and Culinary Services Los Angeles, CA