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Moroccan Lamb Meatballs in Spicy Tomato Sauce

With a Moroccan-inspired spice mix this easy but delicious dish has similar flavours to a traditional lamb tagine but is cooked in a fraction of the time.

Serve as a main course with couscous and roast vegetables or as one of a number of smaller dishes, meze-style.

Course Appetizer, Main Course, Starter
Cuisine Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, North African, Moroccan
Keyword meat, lamb mince, mince, spicy
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings 2 - 4
Author Moorlands Eater

Ingredients

Spice Mix (see Recipe Note #1)

  • 3 tsp ground cumin
  • 2 tsp ground coriander
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 2 tsp ground ginger
  • 2 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp ground turmeric
  • 1 tsp allspice
  • 1 tsp Aleppo red pepper flakes or hot chilli flakes

For the meatballs

  • 400 g minced lamb or mutton
  • 1 tsp salt
  • ΒΌ tsp black pepper
  • 1 tbsp olive oil

For the tomato sauce

  • 1 large onion roughly chopped
  • 6 cloves garlic finely chopped
  • 400 g chopped tinned tomatoes
  • 200 ml water
  • 1 tbsp tomato puree
  • 1 - 2 tsp sweetener e.g. pomegranate molasses, honey, sugar
  • salt and black pepper to taste
  • 2 tbsp chopped coriander

To serve (optional)

  • plain yogurt
  • Aleppo pepper or chilli flakes
  • chopped coriander or mint

Instructions

  1. In a small container, stir together all the spices for the Spice Mix and set aside.

  2. Put the lamb or mutton mince into a bowl and add ONE THIRD of the spice mix plus the salt and pepper.

    Using your hands, thoroughly mix the seasoning through the meat then roll into 16 smooth, walnut-sized balls.

    Heat the oil in a large frying pan until medium-hot. Put the meatballs in the pan and quickly cook until browned all over: do this in batches if necessary and transfer to a plate when browned.

  3. Reduce the heat under the frying pan to medium-low.

    Stir the chopped onions and garlic into the oil and cooking juices left in the pan, season sparingly with salt plus a generous grind of black pepper and cook until starting to soften and brown (10-12 min).

    Stir in the remaining two thirds of the spice mix and cook for 2 minutes.

    Add the tinned tomatoes to the pan plus the water (swish the water around the empty tin first to get all the tomato out) and tomato puree.

    Stir in the sweetener and season with salt and pepper.

    Bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes without a lid.

  4. After 10 minutes, stir the browned meatballs through the sauce.

    Put on a lid and simmer for another 10 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked through. If the sauce needs reducing further you can simmer with the lid off for a few minutes, but don't overcook or the meatballs could go dry.

  5. Take off the heat, taste to check that the seasoning is correct, then stir in the chopped coriander.

    Serve with the optional yogurt, sprinkled with Aleppo pepper or chilli flakes, and more chopped coriander or mint.

    Try it with couscous tossed with peas, soaked raisins and vegetables (e.g. peppers, red onion, squash or sweet potato) that have been seasoned with extra Spice Mix and roasted.

Recipe Notes

Note #1 A pinch of saffron threads, soaked for a few minutes in a little warm water, can be added to the dish at the same time as the tomatoes.