Tefteli (Russian Meatballs with Rice)
This is the best recipe for traditional Tefteli! Also known as Russian Meatballs, they are made with white rice and cooked in tomato sauce. It will be a great easy recipe that you can make in one skillet in just 30 minutes!
Servings: 5 people
Calories: 363kcal
Ingredients
- 1 ⅕ pounds ground beef
- ½ cup rice (half cooked)
- 1 large onion (grated)
- 15 oz crushed tomatoes
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- salt, pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
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 crushed tomatoes, minced garlic, and the remaining grated onion. Stir and season with salt, pepper, and dried 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 20-25 minutes over low/medium heat or until they are cooked through. Turn the meatballs over every 5 minutes.
Notes
- Rice. Long grain white rice is the main ingredient in this recipe. This is what differentiates American or Italian meatballs from traditional Russian Tefteli. Just make sure you precook the rice and cool it off before adding to the ground beef.
- Cooking. While you might be used to pan sear the meatballs before adding to the sauce, Russian tefteli are usually cooked and steamed right in the sauce. Just let the sauce simmer over low/medium heat, add the meatballs, cover with the lid, and let them slowly cook and absorb all the tomato juices. Also, make sure you flip them every 5 minutes, so they don’t stick to the bottom of the pan.
- Tomato sauce. I usually use a can of crushed tomatoes and add grated onion and seasoning to it for more flavor. To simplify the recipe, you can use a Marinara Sauce, and you can skip adding the onion and seasoning.
- How to store? You can refrigerate them in an air tight container for up to 5 days.
Nutrition
Calories: 363kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 77mg | Sodium: 77mg | Potassium: 379mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 37mg | Iron: 2mg