Soutzoukakia Maniatiko Style
Hello foodies! I am gearing up for the New Year and getting excited to share some delicious NEW recipes on the blog.
One of my all-time favorite Greek comfort foods is Soutzoukakia.
Soutzoukakia which is basically melt -in- your- mouth meatballs drenched in a red wine tomato sauce.
Soutzoukakia originally came about in the 20th century originating from a place that was once part of Greece called Smyrna. In modern days it is called Izmir, a part of Turkey. This dish is known to incorporate cumin and many other fragrant spices. After many years of making this dish, I created a mix of traditional and modern soutzoukakia. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
Soutzoukakia Maniatiko Style Recipe
Servings: 18-20 soutzoukakia
Updated March 15th, 2023
-Maniates really enjoy this dish, especially with cinnamon in the meat filling. Have a try at my latest recipe and let me know your thoughts.
Ingredients:
- 2 1/2 pounds of minced beef
- 1 cup of sourdough bread crumbs
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 tablespoon of Greek yogurt
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon mint
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon dill
Tomato Wine Sauce:
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 can of tomato sauce
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
- Pinch of sugar
- 1 1/2 cups of sweet red wine ( I prefer Mavrodaphne)
- Salt & pepper to taste
Method:
- In a large bowl mix the beef with bread crumbs, yogurt, garlic, eggs, and spices.
- Mix well to combine the ingredients and shape them into long ovals. Roll them into flour and place them into a greased deep casserole dish.
- Prepare the tomato sauce.
- Add the olive oil to a pot over medium heat. Then add tomato sauce, cinnamon, sugar, and wine. Season with salt and pepper.
- Cook for about 5 minutes and then pour the sauce over the soutzoukakia in the casserole dish. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees F for about 40 to 45 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and serve with rice, orzo, or even potatoes.
-Key Tips
- Adding the meat mixture to the Cuisinart will tenderize the meat.
- If the sauce drys out in the oven you can add more water to the baking dish.
- Use Greek Fage yogurt for the minced meat mixture.
- Adding flavorful spices like oregano, dill, mint, or basil will give a lovely flavor to this dish.
- This dish is perfect with either rice, mashed potatoes, or even orzo.
Hi! How much is needed in the oven? Marie
Hi Marie mou! If you mean bake time I would say about an hour.
You can check about 45 minutes into the baking to test 1 Soutzoukakia. If itβs ready in the middle then remove from heat.
Happy New Year! Bringing new taste and flavour in your life!
Oh that looks amazing! I have bookmarked for later.
My daughter’s favorite dish. We especially like the soutzoukakia at Aloni in Serifos. Can’t wait to try yours.