Soutzoukakia: Greek Baked Meatballs in Tomato Sauce

Soutzoukakia are football-shaped Greek meatballs with loads of aromatics, fresh parsley, and a special blend of spices, including ground cumin and a touch of cinnamon, baked in a rich tomato sauce!

What is Soutzoukakia?

Soutzoukakia! Say it with me, “soot-zoo-KAH-kee-ah”! Or you can call them izmir köfte. Izmir, a city in Turkey where these delicious meatballs originated, before they made their way to Greece sometime in the 20th century.

Soutzoukakia are delicious football-shaped meatballs made with ground beef, onions, garlic, fresh herbs, and a unique spice combination, the star of which is cumin! The cumin’s warm and distinctive flavor with bitter, lemony undertones provides a great earthy base here. Adding to the flavor is the epic tomato sauce scented with bay, garlic, and a touch of cinnamon.

The meatballs are baked in the sauce to create a dish that is comfort food at its finest! Serve soutzoukakia with other Greek dishes like horiatiki (Greek Salad), Fasolakia (green beans) or Briam (roasted vegetables) for a healthy, well-rounded dinner. You guys, you’re gonna love this!

A Note from Suzy

“Soutzoukakia speaks directly to my Mediterranean heart! It’s boldy flavored, easy to make and loved by the whole family. Yiayia approved!”

Soutzoukakia Ingredients

This recipe consists of two main parts: The signature oblong-shaped meatballs and rich red sauce. Here’s what you’ll need for both:

Meatballs

• Whole wheat bread: You’ll need 2 slices. Use your favorite gluten-free option if you have celiac.
• Milk: You’ll need about 1/3 cup milk. You can also use water.
• Ground beef: I use either 85 or 90 percent lean ground beef. Since the meatballs cook in a sauce, I wasn’t worried about them turning out dry. For a fattier option, use equal amounts of lean ground beef and ground pork.
• Aromatics: Chopped yellow onion and minced garlic.
• Eggs: Eggs help to bind the meatballs so they don’t fall apart.
• Herbs and spices: Cumin, cinnamon, dried oregano, and flat-leaf parsley.

Tomato sauce

• Extra virgin olive oil: I like using a Greek EVOO here, like our Private Reserve or Early Harvest oils.
• Aromatics: Chopped yellow onion and minced garlic.
• Red wine: Use a dry wine like a Cabernet Sauvignon or Pinot Noir.
• Canned tomato sauce: You’ll need two 15-ounce cans.
• Herbs and spices: Bay leaf, cumin, cinnamon, and sugar.

How to Make Soutzoukakia

If you’ve ever wanted to get more people involved in making dinner, this recipe is a good one for that. One person can build the tomato sauce, while someone else shapes the soutzoukakia. Here’s how to make it.

• Soak toasted whole wheat bread. Toast 2 slices of whole wheat bread and place them in a large bowl with 1/3 cup milk. Allow to soak for about 10 minutes, then squeeze out excess liquid, remove it from the bowl, and leave just the soaked bread.
• Gather Greek baked meatball ingredients. To the bowl with the bread, add 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef, 1 small chopped yellow onion, 3 minced garlic cloves, 2 eggs, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1/2 teaspoon each ground cinnamon and dried oregano, and 1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley.
  
  

  

• Make the meatball mixture. Use your hands to bring the ingredients together until they are just combined. Then cover and refrigerate while you work on the sauce.
  

  

• Make the sauce. Heat 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil over medium heat, then add 1 finely chopped yellow onion and cook for 3 minutes. Next, add 2 minced garlic cloves and cook for a minute, stirring regularly. Pour in 1/2 cup dry red wine and let it cook down by about half, then add 30 ounces canned tomato sauce, 1 bay leaf, 3/4 teaspoon cumin, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1/2 teaspoon sugar. Bring to a boil, then lower heat, and simmer for 15 minutes.
  
  

  

• Shape the meatballs. Form the meat mixture into football-shaped meatballs (oblong shape) and arrange them in a large, lightly oiled baking dish.
  
  

  

• Bake the meatballs. Pour the red sauce on top, then bake in a 400°F oven for 40 to 45 minutes. About halfway through, check and see if there is enough liquid in the dish. If not, add a little water (maybe about 1/4 cup). Serve it family style from the baking dish or transfer to a serving platter.
  
  

  

Tips for the Best Soutzoukakia

Two tips make the most tender and juicy meatballs, with a couple extra thrown in for good measure:

• First, use milk-soaked bread. I learned this trick for soaking bread from Yiayia Helen, and it’s one I always use when I make keftedes or Lebanese-style meatballs. The soaked bread adds moisture, so your meatballs are never dry. If you need to, use gluten-free bread, but do NOT skip this step!
• Second, use a light hand when shaping the meatballs. If you overwork the meat, it develops a protein called myosin that binds the meat, resulting in a tough texture. A gentle hand means a tender meatball.
• Keep the meat cold and combine the ingredients just until mixed.
• When making the sauce, if it seems too thin, just simmer it uncovered for another 5 minutes.
• Once cooked, the flavors only get better the next day. Store in the sauce.

How to Shape Soutzoukakia

Now, when you think of meatballs, you probably picture something small and spherical, with a serving size of 4 to 5 meatballs per person. Not the case here. This recipe yields 16 meatballs, and can serve up to 8 people, which is about 4 ounces of meat per person. Here’s how to form Greek football-shaped meatballs.

• If you want each meatball to be the same size, start by weighing the total meatball mixture and dividing that by 16. That will give you the weight of each meatball. (Optional.)
• If you are not too worried about being super precise, scoop 2 1/2 tablespoons at a time to make the meatballs.
• Wet your hands slightly so the meat doesn’t stick.
• Grab one meatball’s worth of meat and shape it into a football shape using your palms. (Roll the meat mixture gently between your palms until it turns into an oblong.)
• Don’t sweat the shape too much. The meatballs will taste wonderful regardless!

Make Ahead Tips

Soutzoukakia is a convenient make-ahead meal! You can make both the sauce and the meatball mixture a night in advance. Here’s how:

• Make the sauce a night ahead and store it in a glass container (to prevent staining) in the refrigerator.
• Mix the meatball mixture and keep it in the fridge for up to one day in advance.
• When you’re ready, form the meat into oblong shapes, place them in an oiled baking dish, and pour the sauce over. Bake and serve.

How to Freeze, Store, and Reheat

I often make a double-batch of Greek baked meatballs and freeze half either before or after baking them, depending on my mood. Generosity is part of my Mediterranean culture, so it’s always nice to have something ready if friends come over for dinner or if I need to send a care package to a sick neighbor.

• Store: Leftover soutzoukakia will keep well in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
• Reheat: Add the meatballs and sauce to a skillet set over medium heat until warmed through. 
• Freeze cooked meatballs: Cool to room temperature and transfer to a freezer-safe bag or container. Freeze for up to 2 months.
• Thaw cooked frozen meatballs: Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat on the stove. You’ll likely need to add a 1/4 cup of water while the soutzoukakia reheats.
• Freeze uncooked meatballs: Arrange the meatballs in a single layer (with a little space between them so they don’t freeze together) on a parchment-lined baking sheet and place in the freezer for a few hours. Once frozen solid, transfer to a container layered between sheets of parchment paper or a ziptop bag. They will keep for up to 2 months.
• To thaw uncooked meatballs: Place them in the fridge overnight, make the sauce, and bake the next day. 

What to Serve with Soutzoukakia

The wonderful thing about meatballs in sauce is that they go well with so many things. Here are some ideas:

• For a Greek feast, serve soutzoukakia with a side of Maroulousalata (Greek Lettuce Salad), Greek Rice Stuffed Onions (this is a favorite of mine), or Horta, braised greens.
• Serve them over a bed of Lebanese rice or fluffy basmati rice for a hearty dinner.
• Don’t forget dessert! Greek Almond Cookies (Kourabiedes) or a slice of Greek Yogurt Cheesecake is the finishing touch to a Greek feast.

More Meatball Recipes

• Youvarlakia (Greek Meatball Soup)
• Greek Meatballs and Potatoes with Lemon and Garlic
• Turkish Meatballs in Yogurt Sauce
• Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs

5 from 17 votes

Soutzoukakia (Greek Baked Meatballs)

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Add As A Trusted Google Source Suzy Karadsheh

Perfectly tender baked meatballs, prepared Greek-style with onions, garlic, spices like cumin and cinnamon, and fresh herbs in a special red sauce. Soutzoukakia taste delicious with sides like Greek salad, or over a bed of rice. Check out all my tips and tricks for the best Greek baked meatballs! This recipe makes 16 meatballs, which serves up to 8 people.

Prep – 20 minutes mins

Cook – 1 hour hr 40 minutes mins

Cuisine:

Greek

Serves – 16 meatballs

Course:

Entree

Ingredients

  

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For Meatballs

• ▢ 2 slices whole wheat bread, toast-size, toasted to a medium-brown (or use gluten free bread if you need)
• ▢ 1/3 cup whole milk
• ▢ 1.5 pounds lean ground beef
• ▢ 1 small yellow onion, chopped
• ▢ 3 garlic cloves, minced
• ▢ 2 medium eggs
• ▢ 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• ▢ 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
• ▢ Kosher salt and black pepper
• ▢ Extra virgin olive oil, to grease the baking dish

For Red Sauce

• ▢ 2 tablespoons Extra virgin olive oil
• ▢ 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
• ▢ 2 garlic cloves, minced
• ▢ 1/2 cup dry red wine
• ▢ 30 ounces canned tomato sauce, that's 2 15-ounce cans of sauce
• ▢ 1 bay leaf
• ▢ 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• ▢ Kosher salt and black pepper

Instructions

 

• In a small bowl, place the toasted bread and cover with milk (or water) to soak. When bread is soft and well-soaked, squeeze the liquid out completely and discard remaining milk if any.
• Transfer the bread to a large mixing bowl. Add round beef and remaining meatball ingredients. Knead well until well-combined. Cover the meat mixture and rest in the fridge for now.
• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• While oven is heating, prepare the sauce. In a sauce pan or large skillet, heat 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil over medium heat until shimmering but not smoking. Add onions and cook for 3 minutes or so. Add garlic and cook for another minute, stirring regularly. Now add red wine and cook to reduce by about 1/2, then add tomato sauce, bay leaf and remaining sauce ingredients. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
• Prepare a large baking dish and lightly oil the bottom with extra virgin olive oil.
• Take the meat mixture out of the fridge. Wet your hands and scoop portions of about 2 1/2 tbsp of the meat mixture and form into large elongated meatballs (football-shaped.) You should have 15 to 16 meatballs or so. Arrange meatballs in the papered baking dish and top with the sauce (be sure to have removed the bay leaf from the sauce.)
• Place the baking dish on the middle rack of your heated oven. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until the meatballs are well cooked through (check part-way through to make sure sauce is not dry, and if needed, add a little bit of water to the bottom of the baking dish.)
• Remove from oven and add another drizzle of EVOO. Garnish with parsley and serve over rice or orzo.

Video

Notes

• Toast and soak bread: Do not skip this step; it gives you the juiciest meatballs!
• What meat to use: You can use lean ground beef, or a mixture of lean ground beef and ground pork. 
• Prepare-ahead tips: If you want to get a head start on this recipe, you can make the sauce one night in advance.  You can also mix the meat mixture one night in advance of cooking; store in the fridge in a glass container with a tight lid. 
• Tips for leftovers: These Greek meatballs will keep for 4 days in the fridge.  Store in tight-lid glass containers. 
• What to serve along? These meatballs are great over Lebanese rice or plain orzo. Turn this dinner into a Greek feast by adding a side of Greek Salad along with Greek Green Bean Salad or Briam! 
• Visit Our Shop for quality Mediterranean ingredients including extra virgin olive oils and spices. 

Nutrition

Calories: 138.5kcalCarbohydrates: 6.9gProtein: 10.8gFat: 7.1gSaturated Fat: 2.3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.6gMonounsaturated Fat: 3.4gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 48.7mgSodium: 380.4mgPotassium: 357.9mgFiber: 1.4gSugar: 3.1gVitamin A: 431.1IUVitamin C: 7.6mgCalcium: 39.4mgIron: 2mg

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*This post was recently updated with new information to make it even better!

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