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
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
- Heat he oil in a pan over medium heat.
- Add the onion and saute until render, about 5-7 minutes.
- Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about a minute.
- Add the wine and deglaze the pan.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, oregano, cinnamon salt and pepper and bring to a boil.
- Add the meatballs, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile cook the couscous as directed on the package.
- Remove the meatballs and sauce from heat and mix in the mint and parsley.
- 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
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
- Mix the lamb, onion, garlic, mint, parsley, egg, bread crumbs, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, salt and pepper.
- Form the mixture into balls approximately 1 1/2 inches in diameter.
- Heat the oil in a pan.
- Add the balls a few at a time, without crowding the pan, and brown on all sides, about 10 minutes.
Delicious dish
Wonderful! A perfect Easter dish. East meets West…
Cheers,
Rosa
I love the idea of serving them over couscous!
Great recipe! Love it with yoghurt and feta!!! Lamb and mint are such a yummy combo 🙂
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!
The mint tomato sauce sounds lovely!
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!
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
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.
I love this kind of dish Kevin!
These look awesome Kevin! Yum!!
I made lamb meatballs a while back served as an appetizer with cilantro raita.
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!
I made these as mini cocktail meatballs for our easter dinner and they were a hit. Thanks for the recipe!
what do you use to get such consistent light in all of your pictures?
Kevin, will you come and cook for me?! 🙂
These look stunning! Such vibrant colours. And so saucy!
Man, do I love lamb!! I have never made meatballs with lamb, but clearly I need to try! Love the addition of mint!
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.
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.
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.
What can I use as a non-alcoholic liquid instead of white wine? White vinegar? Chicken stock? Any suggestions?
Anonymous: Chicken stock will work as a substitute for the white wine.
I used this recipe but instead of lamb meatballs and couscous i used plain old store-bought "italian" meatballs and spaghetti, came out amazing
Made the sauce with tomatoes from the garden and served with a big dollop of greek yogurt….YUUUMMMMMMMMMM!!