I have made this dish at least twice a month for more than 25 years now, simply because it’s such a big favorite in our house.
The flavors are just amazing, and even better the next day! And it’s so easy to make, you should try it. Maybe it will be a family favorite in your house, too?
Meat
- 500 gram lean minced beef
- 1 onion finely grated
- 3 garlic cloves crushed
- 100 ml parsley finely chopped
- 1 tsp lemon juice freshly squeezed
- 1-2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2-1 tsp pepper freshly ground
Sauce
- 350 gram tomato purée
- 1500 ml water
Potatoes
- 2-3 potatoes
- 1-2 tbsp olive oil
- salt
Mediterranean yogurt dressing
- 100 ml natural yogurt
- 1/2 cucumber grated
- 1 garlic clove crushed
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 lemon (the juice)
Meatballs
- Preheat the oven to 350 F/180 C. Put the minced beef, grated onion, crushed garlic and chopped parsley into a bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste and mix well.
- Shape the mixture into small balls and arrange onto a baking tray. Drizzle with olive oil and bake in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes. Use the fan setting if your oven has one.
Sauce
- Put the tomato purée and water into a pan and bring to the boil.
- Add the cooked meatballs and all the oil you baked them in and gently simmer for about 40 minutes.
Potatoes
- In the meantime, peel the potatoes and cut into chunky batons. Drizzle with olive oil and bake in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes, or until golden.
- Shake the pan half way through the cooking time to make sure the potatoes cook evenly.
Mediterranean dish
- The meatballs have cooked in the sauce for 40 minutes now…
- Add the potatoes and some extra parsley, if you like, and gently simmer for another 10-15 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave to cool for one hour to allow some time for the flavors to mingle. If you have the time, cook this dish the day before you want to eat it, the extra day in the fridge will make it even better. Simply just reheat before serving. If you want more sauce, just stir in some more water at the end of the cooking time.
Mediterranean yogurt dressing
- To make the yogurt dressing, simply just mix together all the ingredients.
- I like to serve this with some boiled basmati rice and the yogurt dressing, super yummy.
- Sometimes I serve it with pita bread on the side; I will share that recipe another time with you all.
- Bon appétit everyone. I wish you all a great week. With love from Manuela.
