Tunisian Lamb Meatballs

5 from 1 vote

This is a fantastic lamb recipe for anyone who loves meatballs and a little spice. This recipe is one that can be perfect on nights where you want to be a little adventures but don't have to put in tons of time to make. Meatballs don't take a long time especially when the meat is already ground.

Harrisa paste is a typical north African mixture of chile’s and spices. These flavors go perfectly with lamb and tomato so it is fantastic fit. This ingredients work great with a wide range of northern Africa/Mediterreanan flavors.

The yogurt is the compliment that cools your mouth from the spice. A very easy recipe to pull off at home and could be a great alternative to the usual super bowl food. Here is the recipe, I hope you enjoy it!

Ingredients

8 people

Tunisian Meatballs

1 1/2 lb ground lamb
2/3 cup panko
1 egg
4 garlic cloves minced
1/3 cup harissa paste
1 tbsp dill
2 tbsp harissa spice
1 tbsp sumac
2 tbsp ras el hanout
1 tbsp curry spice
salt and pepper to taste

Tomato sauce

1 onion diced
32 oz diced tomatoes
1/2 cup water
3 garlic cloves
1/3 cup harissa paste
1 tbsp paprika
salt and pepper to taste

Garnish

1 cup greek yogurt
dill sprigs

Nutritional information

Calories: 345kcalCarbohydrates: 18gProtein: 20gFat: 21gSaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 84mgSodium: 472mgPotassium: 611mgFiber: 4gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 429IUVitamin C: 19mgCalcium: 125mgIron: 4mg

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 45

Total Time 1

Servings 8 people

How to make lamb Meatballs

Grind the lamb meat yourself making sure you have ice cold attachments for your meat grinder or have your local butcher grind it for you. Add all the other ingredients to stainless steel bowl with the meat and mix well.
Take a small saute pan on high heat with a tsp of olive oil and cook 1/2 oz of the meatball mixture. Taste the meatball to see how it tastes. If everything tastes perfect then set aside for the pasta, if not adjust the meatball to what you think it needs to be perfect (more spice? more salt?, more herbs?).
Once you have the taste just right, using a wet hand form the meatballs and place them in a large saute pan with 2 tbsp of olive oil. Cook for 4 minutes and then flip the meatballs over and add the onions from the sauce to the pan.

How to make harissa tomato sauce

Meanwhile in a vitamix blender add garlic, diced tomatoes, water, harissa, paprika, and salt to it. Puree for 20 seconds. If it is a little bit chunky its okay.
After another 4 minutes of cooking the other side of the meatballs pour in the tomato sauce over top the meatballs. Cover the pan and lightly simmer for 30 minutes. Taste the tomato sauce and adjust the seasoning if need be.