Tefteli recipe, also known as Russian Meatballs with rice cooked in tomato sauce, is an easy comfort meal made in just 30 minutes.
Tefteli (Russian Meatballs with Rice)
If you are a fan of classic meatballs, you will love these tasty Tefteli, which are also known as Russian Meatballs. They are made with rice and cooked in aromatic tomato sauce. It takes about 30 minutes to make the meal with just a few ingredients.
In general, Russian tefteli are quite similar to the classic Italian meatballs. The only main difference is they have rice inside the meatballs, that makes them softer and more filling.
Tefteli (Russian Meatballs with Rice)
Meatballs Ingredients
- Ground Beef. I like to use 85% lean ground beef, as it gives the most flavor.
- Rice. We will need to cook the rice halfway through before adding it to the meat. That will allow everything to be perfectly cooked at the very end.
- Onion. I prefer to grate the onion. This way it provides more aroma and flavor.
- Garlic. A must have ingredient for the tomato sauce!
- Tomato Sauce. My favorite tomato sauce is the one that comes with added basil and garlic. If you use a plain one, just add more minced garlic and basil to it!
- Salt, Pepper, Dried Basil. These is the basic seasoning. Feel free to play around with spices to add your favorite flavor!
Tefteli (Russian Meatballs with Rice)
How to make Meatballs with Rice (Tefteli)
To start, we need to precook the rice halfway through before adding it to the meat. The reason we do it is different cooking time. If you add raw rice to the Tefteli, it still will be hard after meatballs are cooked.
Add ½ cup of rinsed rice and 1 cup of water to a saucepan. Bring it to boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover with a lid, and let it simmer until all the water is absorbed. Then let it cool off before adding to the rice.
When the rice is cooled, add ground beef, rice, and half of grated onion to the mixing bowl. Season with salt and pepper and mix until all the ingredients are well combined.
Roll the mixture into the balls (standard meatballs size).
In a large heavy bottom skillet, add tomato sauce, minced garlic, and the remaining grated onion. Stir and season with salt, pepper, and ground basil. Bring to boil, then reduce the heat to medium/low and let it simmer for 5-7 minutes (stir occasionally).
Add the meatballs, cover with the lid and cook for 20 minutes over medium heat. Turn the meatballs over every 5 minutes.
Tefteli (Russian Meatballs with Rice)
How long to cook Meatballs?
It takes about 20 minutes to cook the meatballs. Also, it is important to turn them over a few times while cooking to prevent them from burning.
What do I serve Meatballs with?
Here are a few ideas you can serve the meatballs with:
- Mashed potatoes
- Spaghetti
- Buttered noodles
- Buckwheat
- Zucchini noodles
Tefteli (Russian Meatballs with Rice)
Here are a few dinner recipes you might like:
- Instant Pot Turkey Meatballs
- Pasta with Meat Sauce
- Mac and Cheese
- Easy Mongolian Beef
- Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
- Dutch Oven Beef Stew
- Baked Ziti
- Instant Pot Pot Roast
- Instant Pot Chicken Soup
- Beef Cutlets
- Greek Meatballs
Did you make this recipe?!? I’d love to know how it turned out! leave a comment and a rating below👇 thank you!
Tefteli (Russian Meatballs)
Ingredients
- 1 ⅕ pounds ground beef
- ½ cup rice (half cooked)
- 1 medium onion (grated)
- 1 can tomato sauce (14.5 ounces)
- 1 medium onion (chopped)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- sea salt ground pepper, paprika and ground sugar ((for seasoning))
Instructions
- Add ½ cup of rinsed rice and 1 cup of water to a saucepan. Bring it to boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover with a lid, and let it simmer until all the water is absorbed. The rice should be cooked only halfway through! Then let it cool off before adding to the rice.
- When the rice is cooled, add ground beef, rice, and half of grated onion to the mixing bowl. Season with salt and pepper and mix until all the ingredients are well combined.
- Roll the mixture into the balls (standard meatballs size).
- In a large heavy bottom skillet, add tomato sauce, minced garlic, and the remaining grated onion. Stir and season with salt, pepper, and ground basil. Bring to boil, then reduce the heat to medium/low and let it simmer for 5-7 minutes (stir occasionally).
- Add the meatballs, cover with the lid and cook for 20 minutes over medium heat. Turn the meatballs over every 5 minutes.
Notes
Nutrition
Why do you define it American cuisine when it’s actually Russian?
What a wonderful recipe!