Lamb Meatballs in a Mint Tomato Sauce

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.

Servings: makes 4 servings

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

Printable Recipe

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

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

Servings: makes 4 servings

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

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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