What a juicy, hearty dish! Perfect for Sunday meals with family and friends or everyday craving for comfort food. Add some more chopped vegetables if you like, sweet potatoes, onions, carrots or peppers.

Serves: 6-8 Prep. time: 20′ Cooks in: 1:05′ Ready in: 1:25′

Ingredients
For the meatballs
700 g ground beef
250 g stale white bread soaked in bread until soft
1 large onion, grated
2 tbsp Kaseri cheese (or Kefalotyri or Pecornio Romano or Asiago), grated
1 tbsp tomato paste dissolved in 1/2 cup of water
1 tsp dried spearmint
salt, black pepper

For the leeks
1 kg ripe tomatoes, peeled, grated
1 kg leeks, chopped
1 tbsp sweet paprika
1 cup olive oil
salt, black pepper

Method
Step 1
Remove crust from bread and squeeze most of the liquid out (not completely). Mix in a bowl with ground beef and remaining ingredients. Knead for 5 minutes and chill.

Step 2
In a large frying pan heat oil and cook leeks until lightly colored. Add tomatoes, paprika and season with salt and pepper. Boil for 5 minutes on medium heat and remove pan from heat.

Step 3
Shape beef into burger size patties and transfer in oven-proof baking pan. Add sauce with leeks and bake at 180οC for 1 hour or until sauce thickens and meatballs and leeks glaze. Serve warm.

Photo: George Drakopoulos – Food Styling: Tina Webb 

Και η συνταγή στα ελληνικά: Κεφτέδες με πράσα στο φούρνο