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Home Cuisines Middle Eastern Recipes

Moroccan Lamb Meatballs

By:Nagi
Published:31 Jul '17Updated:22 Jun '21
139 Comments
Recipe v Video v Dozer v

Beautifully spiced Moroccan Lamb Meatballs served with a Minted Yoghurt Sauce. Stuff  ’em into pitas for a street food experience, pass them around at a party or pile them over pilaf!

These juicy lamb meatballs are loaded with Middle Eastern flavours. Caramelised on the outside, juicy and flavour loaded on the inside!

Moroccan Lamb Meatballs in a pita drizzled with yogurt mint sauce

Juicy Lamb Meatballs with Moroccan flavours!

Monday Meatball Mania is here! On the last Monday of every month, Jo from Jo Cooks and I each share a meatball recipe, because we both believe that ball shaped food rocks (fabulously high ratio of golden brown surface to juicy meat inside) and there should be more of it in this world.

This month I’m sharing Moroccan Lamb Meatballs, inspired by a visit to the Lakemba Night Markets during Ramadan (26 May – 24 June 2017).

Ramadan is a holy month for Muslims which involves intensive prayer and fasting from dawn to dusk. During this period, the main drag of Lakemba transforms at night with food stalls lining the pavements and is a popular place to enjoy iftar, a communal feast to break the fast.

Fragrant Middle Eastern spices

If you love Middle Eastern food, you’ll be in street food heaven. A vibrant, lively mood, the smell of charcoal, the sizzle of BBQ’s, and the most amazing smell of spices that Middle Eastern food is so well known for wafts through the street. Totally worth driving 50 km / 30 miles for this aaaalll the way from the Northern Beaches!

One of the (ahem – many!) things I tried were spiced lamb meatballs stuffed into pita pockets which I enjoyed so much I wanted to recreate it to share here.

These lamb meatballs are made using my Middle Eastern Lamb Koftas recipe as a base. Lamb is a protein made for heady Middle Eastern spice flavourings! It pairs so well, and the smell when they’re cooking are outrageous!

Plump, juicy, beautifully spiced Moroccan Lamb Meatballs with Minted Yoghurt. Great for stuffing in pita pockets! www.recipetineats.com

These Moroccan Lamb Meatballs would also be terrific made with beef, chicken or turkey. Probably with pork too.

But lamb is Middle Eastern through and through. So I do urge you to try this with lamb if you can!

Bake ’em or pan fry ’em. It will worth great either way because lamb, like beef, browns nicely in the oven. For chicken or turkey, spray liberally with oil if you want to bake them, otherwise you won’t get that gorgeous caramelisation. 🙂 – Nagi xx


Try these on the side

If you opt out of pita bread pockets, consider these sides. Because the meatballs are heavily spiced, opt for sides with fresh flavours:

  • Shredded Red Cabbage, Carrot and Mint Salad

  • Middle Eastern chopped salad (skip the chickpeas if you want)

  • Israeli Couscous Salad

  • Pico de Gallo (Mexican, but the flavours pair well with Middle Eastern)

  • Chargrilled Vegetables

  • Lemon Pilaf (fab pairing!)

  • Curried Basmati Rice Pilaf

  • Chickpea Rice Pilaf

  • Fattoush

  • Roasted Pumpkin with Yogurt Sauce and Pine Nuts

Plump, juicy, beautifully spiced Moroccan Lamb Meatballs with Minted Yoghurt. Great for stuffing in pita pockets! www.recipetineats.com

PS You all know those aren’t my hands in the photo below. I had someone helping me on the day I shot these. She has gorgeous long, slim hands and I couldn’t resist borrowing them. 😂

Plump, juicy, beautifully spiced Moroccan Lamb Meatballs with Minted Yoghurt. Great for stuffing in pita pockets! www.recipetineats.com

Moroccan Lamb Meatballs
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Moroccan Lamb Meatballs recipe video!

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Plump, juicy, beautifully spiced Moroccan Lamb Meatballs with Minted Yoghurt. Great for stuffing in pita pockets! recipetineats.com

Moroccan Lamb Meatballs

Author: Nagi
Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 10 mins
Total: 25 mins
Mains
Middle Eastern, Moroccan
4.99 from 55 votes
Servings4
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Recipe video above. The fragrance when these meatballs are cooking is outrageous! Based on these Lamb Koftas. The Minted Yoghurt is fabulous - pairs so well with the meatballs! See notes for suggestions for sides - pictured in post stuffed in pita pockets.

Ingredients

Meatballs:

  • 1 lb / 500 g lamb mince (ground lamb) (Note 1)
  • 1 small onion, grated (~1/2 cup, including juices)
  • 1/2 cup breadcrumbs, I use panko
  • 1 egg
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 1/4 cup coriander/cilantro leaves and stems, finely chopped
  • 1 tsp EACH cumin, coriander, paprika (any, I like smoked)
  • 1/2 tsp EACH cinnamon, cayenne pepper (add more for spicy)
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • Black pepper
  • 1 tbsp olive oil

Minted Yoghurt Sauce:

  • 1 cup plain yoghurt (I use Greek)
  • 1 clove garlic, crushed
  • 2 tbsp fresh mint, finely chopped (or 1 tbsp dried mint)
  • Squeeze of lemon juice
  • Salt and pepper, to taste

To Serve as pockets:

  • 4 flatbreads Lebanese or pita bread
  • Shredded Red Cabbage, Carrot and Mint Salad OR lettuce leaves / tomato slices / finely sliced red onion
  • More mint and coriander/cilantro optional for garnish

Instructions

  • Mix Minted Yoghurt Sauce ingredients in a bowl. Set aside for 20 + minutes.
  • Place Meatball ingredients EXCEPT OIL in a bowl. Mix well.
  • Measure out 1 heaped tablespoon, then roll into balls. Repeat with remaining mixture - should have 22 - 24 meatballs.
  • Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add half the meatballs and cook, turning to brown all over, for 8 minutes, or until cooked through. Transfer to plate, then cook the remaining meatballs.
  • OVEN OPTION instead of stove: Preheat at 200C/390F. Spray with oil then bake for 20 minutes until browned. Sometimes I put them on a rack to keep them round (put the rack on a tray).
  • Cut pita pockets in half, warm for 10 seconds in the microwave, then pry it open. Stuff with Salad, then meatballs. Finish with Yoghurt Sauce and more fresh mint and coriander if desired.

Recipe Notes:

1. This recipe is also terrific with beef, and very good with chicken and turkey. No recipe adjustments. If baking the chicken or turkey meatballs, spray VERY well with oil!
2. Suggested sides if you opt out of the pita pockets: The Shredded Red Cabbage, Carrot and Mint Salad is great as a side salad as well, this Middle Eastern chopped salad (skip the chickpeas), Israeli Couscous Salad, Pico de Gallo (I know it's Mexican but the flavours are terrific paired with Middle Eastern), just the rice in this baked Chicken & Rice recipe, Chargrilled Vegetables, Lemon Pilaf (fab pairing!), Curried Basmati Rice Pilaf, this Chickpea Rice Pilaf, Fattoush. Because the meatballs are heavily spiced, opt for sides with fresh flavours.
3. Nutrition for meatballs and yoghurt sauce, assuming all the sauce is consumed which it may not be. Also assumes no fat is drained off but I usually discard about 1 tbsp at the end of cooking so the calories will be lower than stated.

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 241gCalories: 524cal (26%)
Keywords: Moroccan Lamb Meatballs
Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @RecipeTinEats.

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139 Comments

  1. Brodie says

    October 3, 2022 at 1:00 pm

    5 stars
    Nagi, you’re amazing and I love all that you do. This, Queens B’day long weekend, I’ve made your chocolate cake, no knead bread and greek chicken. I have to use lamb mince **google google** and boom there you are again on my screen. Off to make the best lamb meatballs, obviously. (Given 5 stars, cause I know they’ll be inhaled..) Thanks!! B.

    Reply
  2. Avery says

    June 9, 2022 at 12:02 am

    5 stars
    Absolutely delicious! And very easy as well. We made ‘cava bowls’ at home with these meatballs. Lettuce, riced cauliflower, pickled onions, tomato, cucumber, hummus, and harissa. AMAZING!

    Reply
  3. Wendy Peirce says

    April 6, 2022 at 11:19 am

    These Moroccan Lamb Meatballs are amazingly delicious. I just made them for the second time and they are going to be a regular dish in my home. The only alteration I have made is that I eat them without any pitas or other bread and I add Aleppo Chilies to the yogurt sauce rather than mint. Love them.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      April 6, 2022 at 4:41 pm

      I am happy you liked them Wendy! N x

      Reply
  4. GRACE says

    April 3, 2022 at 12:57 pm

    5 stars
    Delicious! I made these and used 1/3 cup uncooked couscous instead of breadcrumbs and came out delicious! I served on top of roasted eggplant, topped with tahini, pomegranate seeds & mint

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      April 3, 2022 at 2:42 pm

      Thanks for that feedback Grace!! N x

      Reply
  5. Rachel says

    March 7, 2022 at 1:44 pm

    5 stars
    Everyone enjoyed these, even though I didn’t have any fresh herbs on hand to add to them. I baked them and served with some roasted veggies and lemon rice, no sauce (next time, I’ll plan ahead more and make your lemon pilaf and yogurt sauce). It was our baby’s first time eating red meat–he ate an entire meatball!

    Reply
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I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative! Read More

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