Description
This easy lamb meatballs recipe features tender, flavorful meatballs spiced with an aromatic blend of herbs and spices, baked to perfection, and served with a rich saffron tomato sauce. The sauce is enhanced with cinnamon, saffron, walnuts, and golden raisins, creating a delightful balance of savory and sweet. Perfect as a hearty appetizer or main dish, these meatballs pair wonderfully with couscous or your favorite grain.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Lamb Meatballs:
- 2½ cups fresh rustic bread, cubed
- 1½ cups milk (cow milk or unsweetened plant-based)
- 1½ pounds ground lamb
- 1 pound ground beef (or substitute with ground lamb)
- 2 eggs
- 8 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon sweet paprika
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1½ teaspoons ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ¼ cup fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped
- ¼ cup cilantro, finely chopped
- ¼ cup green onions, finely chopped
For the Saffron Tomato Sauce:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 15 ounces crushed tomatoes
- 4¼ ounces tomato paste
- 1 pinch saffron
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 1½ cups chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons honey
- ½ cup chopped walnuts
- ½ cup golden raisins
Instructions
- Toast the Bread: Preheat your oven to 350°F. Spread the cubed bread on a baking sheet and toast for 10-15 minutes until dry and crisp. Remove from oven and transfer to a large bowl to cool for about 5 minutes.
- Soak the Bread: Drizzle the toasted bread with milk and mix well until all the milk is absorbed, creating a moist bread mixture.
- Combine Meatball Ingredients: Add the ground lamb, ground beef, eggs, minced garlic, salt, pepper, paprika, ginger, turmeric, cumin, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, and chopped herbs (parsley, cilantro, green onions) to the bowl with the soaked bread.
- Mix the Meatball Mixture: Using your hands, thoroughly combine all ingredients until evenly mixed.
- Prepare for Baking: Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Form the Meatballs: With damp hands or a large cookie scoop, shape the meat mixture into ping-pong size meatballs. Place them evenly spaced on the prepared baking sheets.
- Bake the Meatballs: Bake for about 20 minutes until the meatballs reach an internal temperature of 160°F, rotating the baking sheets halfway through baking. Remove from oven and set aside.
- Sauté Onions and Spices: Heat olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add diced onion and cook until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, cumin, salt, and pepper, cooking for another minute.
- Add Tomatoes: Pour in crushed tomatoes and bring to a gentle boil. Stir in tomato paste until fully combined.
- Puree the Sauce: Remove from heat and blend sauce using a high-speed or immersion blender until smooth. Return pureed sauce to the pot over medium heat.
- Simmer with Saffron and Spices: Add saffron, cinnamon sticks, chicken broth, and honey. Stir well, cover, and let simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Finish the Sauce: Remove cinnamon sticks, stir in milk, chopped walnuts, and golden raisins. Return to a low simmer.
- Combine Meatballs and Sauce: Add the cooked meatballs to the sauce and let simmer together for 5 minutes to meld flavors.
- Serve: Garnish with extra fresh parsley and serve warm, ideally with couscous or your favorite grain. Enjoy!
Notes
- You can use any ground meat in place of lamb, such as beef, pork, or turkey.
- The nutrition information is estimated per meatball with sauce, dividing total sauce into about 40 servings.
- If an immersion blender is not available, a regular blender can be used carefully to puree the sauce.
- Adjust spice levels according to taste preference.
- For added texture, walnuts and golden raisins can be omitted or substituted.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 meatball with sauce (approx. 1.5 oz)
- Calories: 110
- Sugar: 3g
- Sodium: 220mg
- Fat: 7g
- Saturated Fat: 2.5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 6g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 7g
- Cholesterol: 35mg
