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I love making meatballs. They are relatively simple, but for some reason, they always seem to impress and elicit excitement. Meatballs are also incredibly versatile – you can dress them up for a dinner party or serve them on weeknights. You can make them out of a wide variety of meats (or lentils and other meat substitutes) and load them with whatever spices and herbs you desire. Then there’s the sauce which can add another whole dimension to your meatball meal. I’ve tried at least a dozen different meatball recipes over the last couple of years but these Moroccan lamb meatballs are one of my favorites – especially in the summer.
I’ve served these Moroccan lamb meatballs a variety of ways. We had them as an appetizer at our last Mediterranean themed dinner party alongside platters of hummus, veggies, and flat breads. I also make them for weeknight dinners and pair them with a quick chopped cucumber salad. We’ve made pita sandwiches out of them too – a great option for leftovers (if you have any)!
Moroccan Lamb Meatballs are Great in the Summer
This is one of my favorite meatball recipes for warmer months because you don’t need to use the oven. The meatballs simply simmer on the stove in their lovely lemon herb sauce. My garden is also overflowing with parsley and cilantro in the summer which means I already have most of the ingredients on hand. Lastly, these meatballs are dairy free and relatively light. You can make them Paleo friendly too by omitting the breadcrumbs.
While I think this recipe works best with lamb, you can substitute ground beef, pork, turkey or chicken if you prefer. You can also use a half lamb half beef mix. Not all grocery stores carry ground lamb but you can find it at Whole Foods and most higher end grocery stores. You can also usually find it at ethnic grocery stores if you have any in your neighborhood.
Moroccan Lamb Meatballs in a Lemon Garlic Herb Sauce
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hours 5 minutes
- Yield: 24-30 Meatballs 1x
Description
This recipe makes 24 to 30 meatballs. It feeds 4 as a main course or up to 10 or 12 as an appetizer.
Ingredients
Meatballs
- ½ large onion, finely diced
- 3 tablespoons parsley, chopped
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cumin
- ½ tsp hot paprika
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 1 lb ground lamb
Lemon Garlic Herb Sauce
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- ½ large onion, finely diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp cumin
- ½ tsp hot paprika
- ½ tsp turmeric
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 3 tablespoons parsley, chopped
- 3 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
- Juice of 1 large lemon
- 1 lemon, sliced thinly (optional for garnish)
Instructions
Meatballs
- Combine all meatball ingredients except the meat in a medium sized bowl. Stir together with a fork. Add the lamb to the mixture and stir until combined. Then briefly knead the mixture with your hands until paste like consistency is achieved. Do not over mix
- Shape the mixture into 1 ½ inch meatballs and place them on a large plate or tray.
- Cover and refrigerate while you prepare the sauce.
Lemon Garlic Herb Sauce
- In a large skillet, heat olive oil and add onion. Cook over medium heat until onion is soft (approx. 8 minutes).
- Add garlic and spices and cook for 1 to 2 minutes stirring consistently. Mixture will become fragrant.
- Add the stock and cilantro, bring to a boil.
- Add the meatballs and reduce heat to a simmer. Distribute the meatballs so they all rest nicely in the sauce.
- Cover and simmer for approximately 45 minutes. Stir the mixture occasionally to prevent any sticking or burning and to coat meatballs in sauce.
- After 45 minutes have passed, stir in half of the parsley and all of the lemon juice. Simmer for 2 more minutes. Transfer meatballs to a large serving bowl. Pour any remaining sauce over the meatballs and garnish with remaining parsley and lemon slices.
- Serve with simple salad and/or flat bread.
Notes
Sometime I make the meatball mix in the food processor. This works especially well if you are substituting whole bread slices for the bread crumbs. If you opt for the food processor you can roughly chop the onion (instead of dicing it) and throw the parsley in without chopping it.
