Spaghetti with Greek Meatballs & Tomato Feta Sauce
Submitted by kimmoana
Spaghetti with Greek lamb meatballs in a tomato feta sauce. Mint, cinnamon, and scallion-seasoned lamb meatballs simmered in white wine tomato sauce with crumbled feta stirred in.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
40 minREADY
60 minSpaghetti and meatballs goes Greek. Ground lamb meatballs are seasoned with fresh mint, scallions, cinnamon, and garlic, with milk-soaked bread mixed in to keep them tender. That cinnamon is barely there, just a whisper, but it’s what gives these a distinctly Mediterranean identity.
The meatballs brown first, then rest while the sauce comes together in the same pot. Drained plum tomatoes, white wine, grated carrot, and garlic simmer for 15 minutes. The carrot dissolves into the sauce and adds a subtle natural sweetness. Meatballs go back in for a final 5 minutes, then diced feta and more fresh mint get stirred through the hot sauce.
The feta doesn’t fully melt. It softens and goes creamy at the edges while holding its shape, so you get salty, tangy pockets throughout the sauce.
Chef Tips
- Soak the bread in milk for the full 3 minutes. This panade keeps the meatballs moist and prevents them from turning dense or dry.
- Brown the meatballs just until firm, about 5 minutes. They finish cooking in the sauce, so overdoing them at this stage makes them tough.
- Drain the canned tomatoes well. Too much liquid thins the sauce and you lose the coating consistency you want on the pasta.
- Add the feta off high heat and stir gently. Aggressive stirring breaks it down too much.
Variations
- Use ground beef or a beef-lamb blend if you prefer a milder meatball.
- Add a handful of Kalamata olives to the sauce for a more intensely Greek flavor.
- Swap spaghetti for bucatini or rigatoni, which catch more sauce in their curves.
Ingredients
Directions
Make the meatballs: In a bowl let the bread soak in the milk for 3 minutes.
Add the lamb, garlic, mint, scallion, cinnamon, salt, and pepper, and combine the mixture well.
Roll the mixture into 1-inch balls, in a large kettle brown the meatballs over moderate heat for 5 minutes, or until they are just firm to the touch, and transfer them with a slotted spoon to a plate.
Make the sauce: In the kettle cook the onion in the oil over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally and scraping up the brown bits, until it is softened.
Add the tomatoes, chopping them with a spoon, and stir in the wine, carrot, garlic, salt and pepper to taste.
Bring the liquid to a boil and simmer the mixture, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes.
Add the meatballs and any juices that have accumulated on the plate and simmer the mixture for 5 minutes.
Stir in the mint and the Feta and keep the sauce hot over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally.
In a kettle of boiling salted water cook the spaghetti for 8 to 10 minutes, or until it is al dente, and drain it well.
Transfer the spaghetti to a heated platter and spoon the sauce over it.
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