With Couscous and Pomegranates
I love Middle Eastern flavours. All the flavour and spice without the heat. These Spiced Lamb Meatballs are exactly that. They are spiced with Harissa Paste and Muhammara and baked in a simple tomato sauce. I’ve served the meatballs on a bed of couscous. One of my favourite grains. And I’ve topped it with toasted flaked almonds, pomegranate seeds, dollops of hummus and a drizzle of plain yoghurt.
All of the delicious ingredients for these Spiced Lamb Meatballs were supplied by Wild Organic Foods. Please do head over to their website to see their awesome range of high quality organically farmed produce, pantry staples and so much more. They conveniently collect the items weekly from local farms and producers. Then deliver it to your door or other convenient collection points. Farm fresh to your table.
If you love meatballs, check out my Mini Meatballs recipe or my delicious Chicken & Sage Meatballs with Parmesan Orzo and crispy sage leaves.
Spiced Lamb Meatballs
Ingredients
Lamb Meatballs
- 500 grams Lamb Mince
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- 1 tsp Dried mixed herbs
- 3 Cloves of garlic (divided) Crushed
- 2 Tbsp Harissa Paste
- 1 Tbsp Muhammara
- 1 Small yellow onion Finely chopped or grated
- ½ Cup Breadcrumbs
- ¼ Cup Fresh Coriander or Parsley Finely chopped
- 1 Egg
- 3 Tbsp Olive Oil (divided)
- 1 Tin of chopped tomatoes (400g)
Couscous
- 2 Cup Couscous
- 2 tsp Dried mixed herbs
- 1 tsp Salt
- 2 Cup Boiling Water
Toppings & Garnish
- ¼ Cup Fresh Coriander or Parsley Finely chopped
- ⅓ Cup Toasted Flaked Almonds
- ⅓ Cup Pomegranate Seeds
- Hummus Optional
- Plain Yoghurt Optional
Instructions
Meatballs
- Add the mince to a mixing bowl and season with salt, pepper and the dried mixed herbs. Then add 2 cloves of crushed garlic, then add the harissa and muhammara
- Next, add the chopped onion, breadcrumbs, fresh herbs and egg
- Mix well until all the ingredients are thoroughly mixed through (if the mixture is too wet, add more breadcrumbs)
- Add two tablespoons of olive oil to a baking dish, then form the mince mixture into roughly tablespoon sized meatballs (I got 20 meatballs out of this mixture). Place the balls into the baking dish and set aside
- Preheat the oven to 200°C
- In a small saucepan, add a tablespoon of olive oil and 1 clove of crushed garlic and bring to medium heat to soften the garlic. After a minute or two, add the tin of tomatoes. Season with salt, pepper and the dried herbs and cook on medium for around 5 to 8 minutes
- Tip: I always add a pinch of sugar to tomatoes to help balance the acidity. Cooking the tomatoes out before adding to the dish also helps to bring out their natural sweetness
- Once the tomatoes are cooked I like to blend them smooth with an immersion blender. This step is optional though
- Pour the tomato sauce over the meatballs, covering them all
- Bake for 30 – 40 minutes (make the couscous when there are 10 minutes left to go)
Couscous
- Note: The amount of couscous in the ingredients list if for 4 servings. Please adjust this to the amount of people you are cooking for. I usually only cook for 2. The ratio couscous to water is always 1:1. So for 1 cup of couscous you will need 1 cup of boiling water. To add flavour, include the dried herbs or you can use stock powder
- Add the couscous, herbs and salt to a bowl, mix through and boil your kettle
- Pour the boiling water evenly over the couscous and immediately cover with plastic wrap or a tight fitting lid. Set aside for 10 minutes, until all the water is absorbed, then fluff the couscous with a fork
- At this point I mixed through the fresh herbs, toasted almonds and pomegranate seeds. You can also mix through a couple of spoonfuls of the spiced oil released by the meatballs during baking if the couscous needs a little more moisture
- Serve the meatballs on a bed of couscous. Drizzle and/or dollop over the hummus and yoghurt if using and sprinkle with any leftover nuts, seeds and herbs
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