Romanian meatballs, also known as chiftele or parjoale are juicy, garlicky, and full of herbs and flavor. Grandma-style pork and beef meatballs - this is one of the most popular Romanian recipes.
Meatballs are popular all around the world; I can imagine that there is hardly any country that doesn't have a traditional recipe. These are the Romanian meatballs, the way my grandmother used to make them, the best chiftele ever!
The recipe she used was originally a Moldovan parjoale (roughly translated as โburnt on embersโ) recipe. My grandfather was born in the Romanian part of Moldova, so many of the dishes my grandmother cooked were typical of that region. Have a look at these Cabbage Pies, Branzoaice or Sweet Cheese Pies, or Chicken in Cream Sauce.
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Alina: How can you not love these meatballs? My grandma made them all the time, and I looove them with some mashed potatoes.
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What sets chiftele apart from other meatballs?
Shape: Traditional Romanian meatballs (chiftele) are large and flat, not small and round. Flattening them helps them cook faster and more evenly, just like Grandma said.
Meat: Use a mix of pork and beef or just pork. All-beef versions aren't typical in Romanian cuisine.
No dried breadcrumbs: Instead, use soaked bread or finely grated raw potatoes (about 2 small ones). Potatoes add moisture and were once a way to stretch meat during communist times.
Onions: Always raw and finely grated or chopped - never pre-cooked.
Herbs: Use either fresh dill or dried savory, never both. Dried savory is traditional but hard to find outside Romania; thyme is a good substitute.
Flour coating: Roll the patties in flour before frying for a light crust.
How to make Romanian meatballs?
Step #1: Soak the bread and grate the onion and the garlic on the fine grater.
Step #2: Mix all the ingredients (except the flour and the oil) in a large bowl. Salt is important.
Step #3: Form them; they should be rather large, slightly elongated, and flat. Turn into the flour. Pat them carefully to remove the excess.
Step #4: Fry them in a cast-iron skillet or another thick-bottomed pan until deeply browned on both sides, about 3-4 minutes on the first side and 2-3 minutes on the second. Check they are cooked through.
Place them on paper towels to absorb the excess fat and keep warm while you fry the next batches.
Can you bake them?
Yes. This way, you will use less oil, work less, and the house will not smell of fried foods.
Place the Romanian meatballs on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and spray them lightly with cooking oil. Bake in the preheated oven at 400ยฐF/ 200ยฐC for 25-35 minutes, turning and lightly spraying with oil at half time.
Check if they are cooked through by cutting one in the middle.
Storage
My grandmother used to make some extra every time, not only so that we could eat them on bread the next day but also to make chiftelute marinate, which are meatballs in tomato sauce.
They keep well in the fridge for 3-4 days in an airtight container.
You can also freeze them for up to 3 months. Freeze them on a baking tray at first, so that they don't stick to each other. Once frozen, place in freezer bags or airtight containers. Let thaw in the fridge and reheat in the oven.
How to serve?
Make a full Romanian meal
Starter: Spinach Roll and white bread.
Main and side dishes: Romanian Meatballs with Garlic and Rosemary Mashed Potatoes and Garlic Green Beans.
Dessert: Cremeschnitte
Recipe
Romanian Meatballs - Chiftele Recipe
Ingredients
- 2.2 lbs ground meat mixed pork and beef, Note 1
- 5.5 oz white bread
- 1 medium onion
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 4 large garlic cloves
- 3 tablespoons milk
- 4 eggs
- 2 tablespoons dill chopped, Note 2
- 2 tablespoons parsley chopped
- ยพ teaspoon fine sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 3-4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3-4 tablespoons vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
- Soak bread: Tear the white bread into smaller chunks and let them soak in water until needed. Grate the onion and the garlic on the fine grater.5.5 oz white bread
- Combine: Place the ground meat into a large bowl. Squeeze the soaked bread very well and add it to the meat. Add grated onion, grated garlic, milk, oil, lightly beaten eggs, chopped dill, and parsley. Add the salt and pepper and mix very well with your hand. If you want to make sure that there is enough salt in the mixture, fry a very small meatball and taste it. Adjust the taste again accordingly.2.2 lbs ground meat+ 1 medium onion + 4 large garlic cloves + 3 tablespoons milk + 1 tablespoon vegetable oil + 4 eggs + 2 tablespoons dill + 2 tablespoons parsley + ยพ teaspoon fine sea salt + freshly ground black pepper
- Form the meatballs. They should be rather large, slightly elongated, and flat.
- Coat with flour: Place the flour onto a large plate and turn the meatballs into the flour. Pat them carefully to remove the excess flour.3-4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- Fry meatballs: Heat about 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large cast-iron skillet or a non-stick pan, turn the heat to medium-low and fry the meatballs in batches, turning once, to brown on both sides. Add more oil between the batches, if necessary.3-4 tablespoons vegetable oil
- The cooking time depends on the size of the meatballs. They should be deeply browned and cooked through. I cooked mine about 3-4 minutes on the first side and a bit less on the second side. Check one meatball and adjust the cooking time accordingly. The fact that they are flat means they will cook a bit quicker than round meatballs of the same size.
- Serve: Place the fried meatballs on kitchen paper to absorb the excess fat and keep warm. Serve as suggested above.
Notes
- Ground meat: You can use a mixture of ground beef and pork or only ground pork.
- Herbs: You can use about 2 teaspoons of dried savory instead of fresh dill and parsley.
Sandu says
Close enough to my mom's recipe.
Adina says
Glad to hear it, Sandu.
Alina says
How can you not love these meatballs? My grandma made them all the time, and I looove them with some mashed potatoes.
Kathy @ Beyond the Chicken Coop says
These meatballs look lovely!
allie says
These look so delicious Adina. I'm intrigued by the different shape and the fresh herbs. Grabbing my fork! XO
Angie@Angie's Recipes says
Meatballs are my husband's favourite! I have never thought of using dill in meat...now I can't wait to try it. These look so very juicy and tender.