I admit I love meatballs. The traditional Italian kind, or stuffed with cheese, is only the beginning. There's something about a well-made meatball, tasty and comforting with pasta, in sandwiches and on pizza. I tried Moroccan Meatballs for the first time, and just had to experiment with the sauce and flavors. There is an important ingredient to have on hand, Ras el Hanout is the traditional Moroccan spice mixture that makes this meatball dinner. Look for it at your local spice shop or online. If you like Moroccan flavors, it's worth searching out this spice. Also, try the turkey meatballs that I put in the Tortellini Soup recipe on this site. Just replace the chicken or sausage in the original recipe with mini turkey meatballs. Well, these are only the beginning of meatball recipes, I think it's now my mission to explore even more in the coming months. This may be the year of the meatball!
Moroccan Meatballs
MOROCCAN MEATBALLS
Serves 4
1 large egg
1 Tbsp milk
3 minced garlic cloves
1/2 tsp allspice
2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 lb ground beef
1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs
6 green onions, slice on the diagonal
1. Mix all ingredients—except the green onions—together in a large bowl. Mix gently but thoroughly with your hands until combined. Roll into balls with a 1/4 cup measure.
2. Place the raw meatballs into the Moroccan Sauce and cook in the sauce for 20 minutes. Serve 2-3 meatballs over prepared couscous in individual bowls. Spoon Moroccan Sauce (recipe below) over meatballs and sprinkle the sliced green onions for garnish.
MOROCCAN SAUCE
Serves 6
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/3 cup diced yellow onion
1 tsp ground cumin
1/8 tsp allspice
3 cloves minced garlic
2 Tbsp Ras el Hanout
1-29 oz Tomato Sauce
1-28 oz Crushed Tomatoes
salt and ground pepper to taste
1. In a saucepan, add olive oil on mediumheat. Add onions, cumin and allspice. Saute until onions are soft, then add garlic and heat about 2 minutes. Add Ras el Hanout, tomato sauce and crushed tomatoes. Let mixture come to a boil, then lower heat to simmer, about 10 minutes to infuse spices. Taste for seasonings and add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with Moroccan meatballs over couscous.
Note: this recipe makes a bunch of sauce. Instead of cutting down on the ingredients, I freeze the leftovers for another meal.
Turkey Meatballs
TURKEY MEATBALLS
Makes about 40 mini meatballs
1 lb ground turkey
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/4 cup diced yellow onions
2 cloves minced garlic
1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp each dried oregano and basil
1 egg
1/2 cup grated romano cheese
1 Tbsp whole milk
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1. Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl with your hands, gently yet thoroughly. Prepare a baking pan with non-stick aluminum foil. Roll turkey mixture into small, bite-size balls. Place side-by-side on prepared pan.
2. Bake meatballs at 350 for about 20 minutes. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate. Use immediately in a recipe like the Tortellini Soup recipe on this site, or your favorite soup or with pasta. Meatballs can be refrigerated for 2 days.