Greek Meatballs in Tomato Sauce (Soutzoukakia)

From: https://www.recipesfromeurope.com/soutzoukakia/ 

Ingredients

Meatballs

  • 1 1/2 pounds minced beef
  • 4 slices of bread, soaked and drained
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 small onion, grated
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
  • salt, to taste
  • black pepper, to taste
  • olive oil, to grease the baking dish

Tomato sauce

  • 33 ounces tomato passata, approximately
  • 1/2 cup red wine
  • 1 onion, thinly diced
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • salt, to taste
  • 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon cumin

To Garnish (optional)

  • fresh parsley, chopped
  • feta cheese, crumbled

Instructions

Make the meatballs

  1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Grease a large baking dish with olive oil.
  3. Add all the meatball ingredients to a large mixing bowl. Using your hands, mix everything together. Refrigerate for 10 to 15 minutes.
  4. 1 1/2 pounds minced beef,4 slices of bread,2 eggs,1 small onion,2 garlic cloves,1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon,1 teaspoon ground cumin,1/2 cup fresh parsley,salt,black pepper
  5. Wet your hands, take about 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons of the meatball mixture and form into an oblong shape.
  6. Place the prepared meatballs in the greased baking dish.
  7. Bake at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked through.

Make the tomato sauce

  1. While the meatballs are baking, prepare the tomato sauce. In a pot or a deep pan, heat the olive oil and sauté the chopped onion until translucent, about 5 minutes.
  2. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Stir in the cumin and a bit of salt and pepper and cook for another minute.
  3. Finally, add the wine, tomato passata, sugar and chopped parsley. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer until the Soutzoukakia sauce starts to thicken.
  4. When the meatballs are cooked, add them to the tomato sauce and continue cooking for another 20 minutes.
  5. Garnish with fresh parsley and/or feta cheese. You can serve the meatballs with rice or mashed potatoes and a side salad.

Notes

  1. You can also use a mixture of minced beef and lamb or minced beef and pork.
  2. The bread can be slightly stale. You can also toast it first until brown to keep it from getting too soggy. Alternatively, you could use unseasoned breadcrumbs.
  3. Soak the bread slices in a small bowl with water or milk until soft. Then squeeze out the liquid.
  4. Instead of tomato passata, you can use unseasoned tomato sauce. 
  5. Use good quality spices for a flavorful dish. Adjust the amount of herbs and spices to taste.
  6. Make sure the meatballs are about the same size so they cook evenly.