Easy, juicy, and full of flavour! Meatballs with marinara sauce are a quick dinner idea that you’ll love to add to the list of your favourite recipes! Keftedes (pronounced Kef-teh-des) are Greek meatballs and a very popular Greek appetizer.

These homemade beef meatballs are served with marinara sauce and topped with crumbled feta cheese and fresh parsley.  Enjoy as an appetizer on their own or with your favourite pasta, dandelion greens, and pita bread.

WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS RECIPE

• This is the perfect meatball dish to serve as an appetizer with grilled pita bread or as a part of your mezze (appetizer) platter. You really can’t go wrong with this easy recipe for juicy meatballs with delicious homemade marinara sauce.

• Homemade meatballs are so easy to make that you won’t need to buy frozen meatballs again. The combination of lean ground beef, fresh herbs, and a couple of surprise ingredients creates the most tender meatballs.

HOW TO MAKE MARINARA SAUCE: STEP BY STEP

STEP 1: Peel the white onion and garlic cloves. Finely dice the white onion and garlic.

STEP 2: In a small saucepan, combine the olive oil, onions and garlic. Simmer on low heat for 5-10 minutes or until fragrant, and the onion and garlic have softened. Keep the oil on low heat so that the onions and garlic don’t burn.

STEP 3: Add in the white wine. Stir together. It’s best to use a dry white wine like pinot grigio, pinot gris, or sauvignon blanc. The wine does add a nice flavour, but it is optional.

STEP 4: Add in the whole plum Italian tomatoes. Add 1/2 cup of warm water. Use a spoon or fork to break up the tomatoes into a sauce.

STEP 5: Add two teaspoons of sugar. The sugar will remove some of the tartness from the tomatoes.

STEP 6: Add seasoning salt, dry oregano, and fresh basil.

STEP 7: Stir all ingredients and simmer on low to medium heat, uncovered for an hour. Over time, the water will begin to evaporate, and the marinara sauce will thicken.

HOW TO MAKE GREEK MEATBALLS (KEFTEDES): STEP BY STEP

STEP 1: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F on convection bake.

STEP 2: Peel one white onion. Grate the onion using the cheese grater side on a box grater. There may be some tears, but it will be worth it since the grated onion adds more moisture and flavour to the meatballs!

STEP 3: Mince the garlic cloves and set them aside.

STEP 4: Finely chop the fresh Italian parsley and the fresh mint. Set aside.

STEP 5: Whisk one egg lightly in a large bowl.

STEP 6: Add the lean ground beef, olive oil, grated white onion, garlic, parsley, mint, dry oregano, Worcestershire sauce, yellow mustard, seasoning salt, and lemon juice to the bowl and mix well together.

STEP 7: Add the breadcrumbs and then use your hands to mix all the ingredients.

STEP 8: Using your hands, shape the meat mixture into a small round ball similar in size to a golf ball. Repeat the process until all of the mixture is used. This recipe makes approximately 20 meatballs.

STEP 9: Place the meatballs in a single layer on the baking tray, leaving about half an inch distance in between the meatballs.

STEP 10: Place the meatballs in the preheated oven and bake at 350 degrees F on convection bake for 25-30 minutes or until the meatballs or no longer pink inside.  The internal temperature must reach at least 165 degrees F or 74 degrees Celcius.

You can use a wire rack inside the baking sheet if you’d like. The meatballs will cook on top of the rack, and the oil will fall through to the bottom of the pan. As a result, the meatballs will be more crispy on the bottom.

The meatballs are just as good baked on a baking sheet if you don’t have a wire rack!

RECIPE TIPS

• It’s a little messy, but use your hands to mix and shape the meatballs. That way, all the ingredients can mix well together, and you’ll have more control over the size and shape of the meatballs.

• Place the meatballs in a single layer on the baking tray and leave about a 1/2-inch space in between. It’s best to keep the size of each meatball the same so that they can cook evenly.

• The marinara sauce will need about an hour to cook on a low to medium simmer, so it’s a good idea to make the marinara sauce first so that it has time to cook while you prepare the meatballs. The longer the marinara sauce cooks, the sweeter and more flavourful the sauce will be.

• Place a wire rack inside the baking tray so that the oil from the meatballs can drip to the bottom of the pan. A wire rack is optional, but it helps the meatballs stay crispy on the bottom.

• While you can use other meats, such as ground turkey or ground chicken, fattier meats will result in more tender and flavorful meatballs.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How Long Does It Take To Cook Meatballs at 350 Degrees F In The Oven? 

For meatballs the size of a golf ball bake or approximately 1 inch and a half, you’ll need to bake them on convection bake for about 25-30 minutes or until they are no longer pink on the inside. Or until the internal temperature of the meatballs has reached at least 165 F or 74 Celsius.

Is It Better to Bake or Fry Meatballs? 

A couple of advantages to baking meatballs is that you can cook more meatballs at once, so baking meatballs will be more efficient if you’re making a large batch. Plus, you don’t have to worry about oil splattering and getting on you or your countertops. It’s easy to place the meatballs in the oven and then prep a side dish or finish the marinara sauce while the meatballs bake in the oven.

STORING & REHEATING

Cooked meatballs can be stored in the refrigerator for up to three days in an airtight container.

How To Reheat Meatballs? 

You can easily reheat meatballs! Just place them in a single layer on a baking sheet and reheat them in the oven for about 10-15 minutes at 350 degrees F or until warmed through.

What To Serve With Meatballs

• Crispy fries
• Greek salad
• Homemade pita bread
• Easy Spaghetti With Meat Sauce (makaronia me kima)
• The Best Creamy Tomato Pasta Sauce
• Baked Salmon With Creamy Dill Mayo
• Traditional Greek Pork Souvlaki Recipe
• Creamy Lemony Greek Meatball Soup (Youvarlakia)

Print Recipe

5 from 3 votes

Homemade Meatballs With Marinara Sauce

Easy homemade meatball marinara recipe. Easy, juicy, and full of flavour! Meatballs with marinara sauce "keftedes" are a popular Greek appetizer or quick high-protein dinner idea!

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time1 hour hr 25 minutes mins

Additional Time5 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr 50 minutes mins

Course: Greek Appetizers

Cuisine: Greek

Keyword: greek appetizers, meatballs, meatballs with marinara sauce

Servings: 20 meatballs

Calories: 165kcal

Author: Ria Mavrikos

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

Marinara Sauce

• 1 can of Italian peeled plum tomatoes 398 ml/14 fl oz
• 2 garlic cloves diced
• 1 white onion finely diced
• 1 tablespoon fresh basil lightly chopped
• 1 teaspoon dry oregano
• 1 teaspoon seasoning salt
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 teaspoons white granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup dry white wine pinot grigio, pinot gris, or sauvignon blanc - Optional
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes optional for some extra heat
• salt and pepper to taste

Meatball "keftedes" Ingredients

• 700 grams lean ground beef
• 1 egg lightly beaten with a fork
• 1 medium size white onion grated
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 1 teaspoon yellow mustard
• 1/4 cup fresh Italian or flat-leaf parsley finely chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh mint finely chopped
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons seasoning salt
• 1 tablespoon dry oregano
• 1/4 cup breadcrumbs or panko Japanese breadcrumbs
• salt and pepper to taste
• crumbled feta to sprinkle on top optional

Instructions

• As a first step, you'll need to prepare the marinara sauce.
• Peel the white onion and garlic cloves. Finely dice the onion and garlic.
• In a small saucepan, combine the oil, onions, and garlic. Simmer on low heat for 10 minutes or until fragrant, and the onion and garlic have softened. Keep the oil on low so that the onions and garlic don't burn.
• Add in the can of whole plumb Italian tomatoes and 1/2 cup of warm water.
• Add in two teaspoons of sugar.
• Add in seasoning salt, dry oregano, and fresh basil
• Stir all ingredients and simmer on low to medium heat uncovered for an hour. Over time, the water will begin to evaporate, and the marinara sauce will thicken.

Step by step instructions for meatballs:

• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F on convection bake
• Peel one white onion. Grate the onion using the cheese grater side on a box grater.
• Mince the peeled garlic and set it aside.
• Finely chop the Italian parsley and the mint. Set aside.
• Beat one egg lightly in a large bowl with a fork
• Add in the lean ground beef, olive oil, grated white onion, garlic, parsley, mint, dry oregano, Worcestershire sauce, yellow mustard, seasoning salt, and lemon juice to the large bowl and mix well together.
• Add the breadcrumbs to the mixture and use your hands to mix all the ingredients.
• Use your hands to shape the meat mixture into small round balls similar in size to a golf ball. Repeat the process until all the mixture is used.
• Place the meatballs on a single layer on the baking tray (leave about half an inch distance in between the meatballs)
• Place the meatballs in the preheated oven and bake at 350 degrees F on convection bake for 25-30 minutes or until the meatballs are fully cooked and not pink inside.

Notes

1. It's best to keep the size of each meatball the same so that they can cook evenly.
2. The marinara sauce will need about an hour to cook on a low to a medium simmer, so it's a good idea to start the marinara sauce first so that it has time to cook while you prepare the meatballs. The longer the marinara sauce cooks, the sweeter and more flavourful the sauce will be.
3. While you can use other meats such as ground turkey or ground chicken, fattier meats will result in more tender and juicy meatballs.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 165kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 42mg | Sodium: 349mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g