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Lamb Meatballs in a Mint Tomato Sauce

[heart_this] · Apr 21, 2011 · 26 Comments

Lamb Meatballs in Mint Tomato Sauce

Mediterranean spiced lamb meatballs in a mint tomato sauce on a bed of light and fluffy couscous.

Spring does seem to be the time for lamb and about the time that Easter rolls around is when I start thinking about it. Lamb has a stronger flavour than beef or chicken and this means that it can stand up to strong herbs like mint which I always enjoy using in savoury dishes. I had been mulling over the idea of a lamb meatball dish in a mint tomato sauce for a while and now was the time to make it. I wanted to keep the dish fairly simple so I seasoned the lamb meatballs with a few exotic Mediterranean spices including cumin, coriander and cinnamon in addition to the mint and other meatball basics. I purposely made the meatballs fairly large and I fried the meatballs in oil until golden brown on the outside and then added them to the tomato sauce to finish cooking, thereby staying nice and moist and juicy. The tomato sauce pretty simple with flavours similar to the meatballs and it is finished off with a hit of fresh mint. I garnished the meatballs with toasted almond slivers and served them on a bed of light and fluffy whole wheat couscous. Although these meatballs certainly don’t need it, if you are feeling more decadent you could also garnish them with some plain yogurt and crumbled feta.

Lamb Meatballs in Mint Tomato Sauce in Feta and Yogurt

Lamb Meatballs in Mint Tomato Sauce

Lamb Meatballs in Mint Tomato Sauce

Prep Time: 30 minutes Cook Time: 30 minutes Total Time: 35 minutes Servings: 4

Mediterranean spiced lamb meatballs in a mint tomato sauce on a bed of light and fluffy couscous.

ingredients
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine
  • 1 (14 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
  • 1/2 teaspoon oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 batch mint lamb meatballs, browned (see below)
  • 1 handful mint, chopped
  • 1 handful parsley, chopped
  • 1 cup couscous
  • 1/4 cup almond slivers, toasted
directions
  1. Heat he oil in a pan over medium heat.
  2. Add the onion and saute until render, about 5-7 minutes.
  3. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about a minute.
  4. Add the wine and deglaze the pan.
  5. Add the crushed tomatoes, oregano, cinnamon salt and pepper and bring to a boil.
  6. Add the meatballs, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes.
  7. Meanwhile cook the couscous as directed on the package.
  8. Remove the meatballs and sauce from heat and mix in the mint and parsley.
  9. Serve the meatballs in tomato sauce on couscous garnished with toasted almond slivers and more chopped mint and parsley to taste.
Lamb and Mint Meatballs

Lamb and Mint Meatballs

Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 20 minutes Total Time: 30 minutes Servings: 4

The mint and parsley add a really nice freshness to these tasty lamb meatballs.

ingredients
  • 1 pound ground lamb
  • 1/4 cup onion, diced
  • 1 clove garlic, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons mint, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 cup whole wheat breads crumbs, freshly made
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin, toasted and ground
  • 1/2 teaspoon coriander, toasted and ground
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
directions
  1. Mix the lamb, onion, garlic, mint, parsley, egg, bread crumbs, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, salt and pepper.
  2. Form the mixture into balls approximately 1 1/2 inches in diameter.
  3. Heat the oil in a pan.
  4. Add the balls a few at a time, without crowding the pan, and brown on all sides, about 10 minutes.
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Sriracha Teriyaki Chicken Meatballs
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Food, Lamb, Main Course, Mediterranean, Recipe

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. KMS says

    April 21, 2011 at 11:01 pm

    Delicious dish

    Reply
  2. Rosa's Yummy Yums says

    April 22, 2011 at 12:14 am

    Wonderful! A perfect Easter dish. East meets West…

    Cheers,

    Rosa

    Reply
  3. Pam says

    April 22, 2011 at 12:23 am

    I love the idea of serving them over couscous!

    Reply
  4. Leah says

    April 22, 2011 at 1:17 am

    Great recipe! Love it with yoghurt and feta!!! Lamb and mint are such a yummy combo 🙂

    Reply
  5. Twin Tables says

    April 22, 2011 at 4:07 am

    wow! amazing. I think I am drooling. 🙂 We had this version of lamb ragu recently…http://www.twin-tables.com/2011/02/magic-meat-lamb-ragu.html…it reminded us of an amazing meal in NYC at Loconda Verde! Thanks for the recipe!

    Reply
  6. Anonymous says

    April 22, 2011 at 6:17 am

    The mint tomato sauce sounds lovely!

    Reply
  7. Joanne says

    April 22, 2011 at 10:19 am

    I absolutely adore the flavor of lamb, better than any other meat in fact, and this dish sounds delicious, especially with the spices you put in the meatballs themselves!

    Reply
  8. Sam @ My Carolina Kitchen says

    April 22, 2011 at 11:39 am

    What a great way to serve lamb. I like the idea of the mint too. We were going to buy a leg of lamb but it seemed foolish for just two people.
    Sam

    Reply
  9. Alisa Fleming says

    April 22, 2011 at 3:27 pm

    We just moved to an area with a lot of local lamb, and I've been wondering about cooking ideas. This sounds like such a nice twist.

    Reply
  10. bellini says

    April 22, 2011 at 3:40 pm

    I love this kind of dish Kevin!

    Reply
  11. Lindsay says

    April 22, 2011 at 4:07 pm

    These look awesome Kevin! Yum!!

    Reply
  12. Victor says

    April 23, 2011 at 5:45 pm

    I made lamb meatballs a while back served as an appetizer with cilantro raita.

    Reply
  13. Aurelia says

    April 24, 2011 at 12:09 am

    Wow they look great! I haven't made lamb meatballs before but the beef variety I make quite often in the summer. This is definitely a recipe that I'll be trying out 🙂

    Thanks for sharing it!

    Reply
  14. Anonymous says

    April 24, 2011 at 5:03 pm

    I made these as mini cocktail meatballs for our easter dinner and they were a hit. Thanks for the recipe!

    Reply
  15. Shannon says

    April 25, 2011 at 1:32 am

    what do you use to get such consistent light in all of your pictures?

    Reply
  16. Anonymous says

    April 25, 2011 at 2:10 am

    Kevin, will you come and cook for me?! 🙂

    Reply
  17. Elizabeth and Jared says

    April 25, 2011 at 6:17 am

    These look stunning! Such vibrant colours. And so saucy!

    Reply
  18. The Food Hound says

    April 26, 2011 at 1:00 pm

    Man, do I love lamb!! I have never made meatballs with lamb, but clearly I need to try! Love the addition of mint!

    Reply
  19. Twin Tables says

    April 26, 2011 at 4:38 pm

    Melis and I did a lamb ragu not too long ago after being influenced by a meal we had at Loconda Verde in NYC. Check it out: http://www.twin-tables.com/2011/02/magic-meat-lamb-ragu.html Your dish looks and reads amazing as usual.

    Reply
  20. Kevin says

    April 27, 2011 at 10:16 am

    Shannon: I am currently using a single off camera flash, a Canon 580 EX II, on a stand with an umbrella for lighting in my photos.

    Reply
  21. Erica says

    August 12, 2011 at 12:29 am

    I just wanted to let you know that I made this tonight and it was one of the most delicious lamb meals I've ever had. The meatballs & sauce were bursting with flavor and I will def make again. Thanks for existing Kevin, you're awesome.

    Reply
  22. Anonymous says

    December 4, 2011 at 6:32 pm

    What can I use as a non-alcoholic liquid instead of white wine? White vinegar? Chicken stock? Any suggestions?

    Reply
  23. Kevin says

    December 5, 2011 at 12:58 pm

    Anonymous: Chicken stock will work as a substitute for the white wine.

    Reply
  24. just me says

    July 27, 2012 at 10:41 pm

    I used this recipe but instead of lamb meatballs and couscous i used plain old store-bought "italian" meatballs and spaghetti, came out amazing

    Reply
  25. Chris says

    July 31, 2012 at 2:01 am

    Made the sauce with tomatoes from the garden and served with a big dollop of greek yogurt….YUUUMMMMMMMMMM!!

    Reply
  26. Beck & Bulow says

    November 30, 2021 at 7:46 am

    I would eat the onion-spinach-herb-garlic reduction(?) by itself honestly. The smell in the pan. It’s perfect. I gobbled up a 2-lb batch of these delicious meat bombs alone within 48 hours. I’m obsessed! Thank you! and please visit us: https://www.beckandbulow.com

    Reply

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