This Soutzoukakia recipe was brought to Greece in the 1930’s by the Asia Minor Greeks that were relocated from present day Turkey. I want to thank my previous roommate Peter Teis and his family, especially Aliki and her mother for sharing this Soutzoukakia recipe with me! Thessaloniki has many dishes that came from its various occupations and nationalities that have occupied this metropolitan city. This dish is found in most tavernas and restaurants there and is one of the city’s favorite foods. Cumin gives Soutzoukakia a lot of its flavor.  These meatballs are great dipped in Greek yogurt with a side of pita bread.
Check out our video below on how to make Soutzoukakia!
Greek Meatballs with Tomato Sauce (Soutzoukakia )
Ingredients
- 1 cup stale bread, broken up
- 1/2 cup red wine
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp sweet cumin
- 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
- salt and pepper, to taste
Sauce:
- 15 ounces can tomato sauce, pumaro if possible
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 tsp sugar
Instructions
- In a small bowl soak the bread in the red wine.
- In a mixing bowl add the ground beef, onion, garlic, cumin, bread, oil, salt, pepper, and combine well. Let this mixture sit 1 hour in the fridge.
- Form the meatballs and fry them in a little olive oil, then put them in a pyrex baking dish one next to the other.
- Bring the tomato sauce to a boil and add to the meatballs, along with the oil you fried the meatballs in.
- Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 for 35 minutes.
Nutrition
Calories: 648kcalCarbohydrates: 21gProtein: 24gFat: 51gSaturated Fat: 13gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 30gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 81mgSodium: 513mgPotassium: 612mgFiber: 3gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 251IUVitamin C: 6mgCalcium: 89mgIron: 5mg
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About the Author: George Zikos
George studied International Business in Greece in 2015 for three semesters. His family is from the island of Crete, and he lived with them for a whole summer. During that time, he started working for Mediterranean Living and contributing his firsthand experiences of the traditional Cretan diet. He learned fluent Greek along the way, being fully immersed in a traditional Cretan village. He is since graduated with a business degree from Worcester State University. George loves language and traveling, so he completed a TEFL certificate program at the Boston Language Institute in order to teach English abroad and travel the world. He currently works full-time blogging, recipe formulating, and social media marketing for Mediterranean Living. His passions include language, gardening, hiking, skateboarding, and watching sports. He dreams of living in Crete one day, after he travels the world learning as many languages and cultures as possible.
