Romanian Meatballs (Chiftele)
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
Romanian Meatballs, known as “Chiftele” are one of the most popular Romanian dishes. Learn to make the mother of all meatballs, nothing beats these meatballs.
The Best Romanian Meatball Recipe
I’m so happy to share this recipe with you today because this literally is one of the most common made dishes by my mother as we were growing up, and still is in her household and mine. So needless to say, I learned to make these meatballs a very long time ago. We call these “Chiftele” which is the Romanian word for meatballs.
I still remember that every single time my mom would make these, besides the fact that I was always in the kitchen with her, I was always in charge of rolling them. My mom actually preferred to make these more like patties, so we’d flatten them a bit, but now that I’m married to a Romanian, he prefers them round and small like his mom used to make them.
I, personally, don’t care one way or the other. For me, the taste is more important.
And the taste, oh the taste! These meatballs are packed full of fresh herbs and some grated potato. I love dill, so I’ll put a lot in these meatballs, and you can actually taste the distinct flavor of the dill as you bite into the meatballs and it’s just yummy.
Potato? In Meatballs?
Forget all other meatball recipes, this recipe is to die for! We actually shred some potatoes and add it to the meat mixture. I’m not exactly sure why, but from what I heard from my mom is that back in the day, meat was more expensive, so to make more you’d add potatoes. Now of course, I do it because I find that the potato makes the meatballs juicier and I just love the texture of it.
- Meat – We’re using ground pork today for juicy meatballs with lots of depth of flavor.
- Breadcrumbs – I used panko but you can substitute it for any breadcrumbs you have on hand.
- Egg – The binder in our meatballs. If you’re egg free you can use 1/4 cup of ricotta per egg.
- Potatoes – 2 entire potatoes, grated.
- Onion – Either 2 small onions or 1 large one. Chopped up finely.
- Herbs – Fresh dill and fresh parsley. If dried is all you have on hand just keep in mind that 1 tablespoon fresh equals 1 teaspoon dried.
- Oil – A nice neutral tasting oil to fry up our little meatballs in.
- Seasoning – Salt and pepper.
The Secret To Super Moist Meatballs
All you need is a cheese grater – yup that’s right! Use the grater to shred up your onion nice and fine before incorporating them into your meatballs. It will ensure they stay nice and moist and have super consistent flavor.
- Saute the aromatics: Heat the tbsp of vegetable oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.Add the onions, garlic and saute until tender. Add the grated potato and cook for a few minutes until it becomes tender. Let this cool.
- Combine the meatballs: In a large bowl, add the onion/potato mixture, ground pork, eggs and breadcrumbs, salt and pepper, add the chopped parsley, chopped dill and mix well.
- Cook the meatballs: You can form these into balls, or traditionally they are formed into small patties. Add oil to a large skillet and fry the meatballs on all sides.
- Serve over spaghetti, or mashed potatoes.
Prefer To Bake Your Meatballs?
These meatballs can also be baked. Bake at 400 F degrees for about 30 to 45 minutes or until cooked through.
What Other Kinds of Meat Can I Use
I love using pork in my meatballs because they always turn out so juicy from the higher fat content. You can use any type of ground meat that you like! Keep in mind that meat with a lower fat content like turkey, chicken, or lean ground beef will yield dryer meatballs.
You can mix a lean type of meat with something fattier like lamb, regular ground beef, or pork.
How To Serve
You can use these Romanian meatballs for your spaghetti, with mashed potatoes, you can make a tomato sauce with them, or you can just plainly eat them by themselves with bread and mustard. You can fry these, or if you’re watching your weight, you can even bake them. I simply just love these. I chose to fry them this time, but many times I have baked them and they are just as wonderful.
Storing Leftovers
This meatball recipe will last 3 – 4 days in the fridge if stored in an airtight container.
Freezer
To freeze just place the cooked meatballs on a baking sheet and freeze separately to begin with. Transfer them to a freezer bag or otherwise airtight container and place back in the cold and they’ll keep for up to 3 months.
Craving More Meatballs? Try These
- Chimichurri Meatballs
- Sweet and Spicy Korean Meatballs
- Dutch Meatballs
- Stout Meatballs with BBQ Sauce
- Indonesian Meatballs
- Porcupine Meatballs
- Meatball Parmesan
- Swedish Meatballs
- Firecracker Chicken Meatballs
Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Romanian meatballs (Chiftele)
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2 small onions ( or 1 large one, finely chopped)
- 2 cloves garlic (finely minced)
- 2 pound ground pork
- 2 medium potatoes (grated)
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup breadcrumbs (I used Panko)
- ½ teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- ½ teaspoon pepper (or to taste)
- ¼ cup parsley ( finely chopped)
- ¼ cup dill (fresh, finely chopped)
- oil for frying
Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Instructions
- Heat the tbsp of vegetable oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions, garlic and saute until tender. Add the grated potato and cook for a few minutes until it becomes tender. Let this cool.
- In a large bowl, add the onion/potato mixture, ground pork, eggs and breadcrumbs, salt and pepper, add the chopped parsley, chopped dill and mix well.
- You can form these into balls, or traditionally they are formed into small patties.
- Add oil to a large skillet and fry the meatballs on all sides.
- Serve over spaghetti, or mashed potatoes.
Notes
- These meatballs can also be baked. Bake at 400 F degrees for about 30 to 45 minutes or until cooked through.
- Recipe will yield about 40, give or take a few, depending on the size of your meatballs.
- Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.
Nutrition Information
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
Sweet tomato sauce recipe:
Ingredients:
500 ml tomato paste
1 Tbsp oil (usually, sunflower)
1 bay leaf
1 Tbsp sugar (or to taste)
salt and pepper, to taste
Optional: fresh thyme, (2-3 twigs with leaves)
In a pan, over medium heat, heat up the oil, then add the tomato paste, bay leaf and thyme (optional). Reduce heat to low and boil the sauce for about 10 minutes. Then take out the bay leaf and thyme. If you want the sauce less thick, add a little bit of hot water and bring the sauce to boil, then add the sugar, salt and pepper. And the sauce is done!
Sometimes my mom made the Chiftele with a sweet tomato sauce that she would poor over the mashed potatoes. I remember there was bay leaves in it and sugar but I can’t seem to find a recipe anywhere and she is no longer with us. Does this sauce sound familiar to you? I’m wondering if it’s a traditional Romanian recipe or just something in our household.
I know what you’re talking about, I had it once when I was a kid too, it was a sweet tomato sauce. I don’t have a recipe for it, but I believe it’s similar to a marinara sauce with a bit of sugar in it. 🙂
We loved it. We doubled the sauce served it with roasted asparagus, sweet carrots, mashed potatoes and a bottle of homemade white wine. Five star all the way!!
I made a half recipe over the weekend to give it a try, got rave reviews from my family! My husband is from Poland, he absolutely loved the dish. It will now be a new favorite in our house. Thank you
Best meatballs ever!And I have made lots so moist,followed recipe cut in half. When I make next will make whole recipe,thank you so much for your wonderful recipes.
perhaps in the future, you could perhaps always add air fryer directions for cooking. thanks.
Set the air fryer to 400F and cook for 10-15 minutes, or until fully cooked through 🙂
How much dried dill would I use, as I do not grow fresh dill
I would really suggest checking out your local grocery store for some fresh dill- it makes a big difference. If you can’t find any, then use 1 tbsp dried dill.
I made these for my Romanian husband and he loved them!
Glad to hear it!
Looks delicious! How many meatballs does the recipe make?
About 35 meatballs, but it really depends on how big you make them.
Hi Jo,
Do you dust your Chiftele’s with corn flour before frying them?
Also, how much oil do you use – around the level that covers their bottom half?
Finally, are you cooking them for circa 20 mins turning them every few minutes?
Best wishes,
Lynne.
Hi Lynne! We don’t use any corn flour, but you are free to use it if you’d like an extra crunch.
Take a peek at the photo right above the recipe of the meatballs frying to get an idea of how much oil we used- about 1/4 – 1/2 inch coating the bottom of the pan.
Yes, exactly! Fry the meatballs until golden brown on each side.
My boyfriend loves this recipes,I am a filipinana and hes Romanian and most of the time I cooked Romanian food.this is my favorite meatballs ever,very simple yet very yummy..😍😍😍😍😍
I am Romanian too but left when I was a child. Do you have any recipes for mititei (mici)
Hi Maria! I have this recipe on another blog of ours, here: http://www.cookingglory.com/recipes/meat-lovers/beef/romanian-street-food-mititei/
What type of potato do you use and about what size? They look delicious and I am looking forward to trying these.
Any potato would work. I usually use a Yukon gold, medium size.
Good job Joanna explaining recipe 👏🏻 Never include potatoes but today I will make them with potatoes to see the difference 😊
Thank you!
Oh I hope you like them!! Do let me know!
Wonderful! I’m not sure why exactly since the ingredients themselves wouldn’t make you think these would be as good as they are, but the end result is fantastic. My new “go to” meatball recipe.
So glad you enjoyed these!