Moroccan Meatballs

Like just about every other woman in America, I have been bitten by the Pinterest bug.  I actually started using it over a year ago and knew it would be a big 'ol hit.  It's the crack of the Internet.

I consider myself a moderate pinner, not pinning any and everything and I also regularly complete projects and recipes that I've pinned.  But I often forget to go there when I'm looking for inspiration.  And, the food pins were piling up so I'm trying to make at least one pinned recipe a week.

Moroccan Meatballs were deemed pin-worthy because they contain lamb, a meat I find myself liking more and more all the time.  A paste of onion, garlic, ginger, and if you want more heat, a spicy pepper flavor both the meatballs and the sauce.  The tender lamb is braised in a lovely tomato sauce rich with spiciness from the ginger.  This is a great twist on an old favorite!

Moroccan Meatballs
adapted from Dinner du Jour

Serves 4
1 medium onion, chopped
3 gloves of garlic
1-inch piece of ginger, chopped
1 pound ground lamb
pinch of cayenne pepper
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 14.5 ounce can of chopped tomatoes
1 cup chicken stock
fresh cilantro, chopped

Place onion, garlic, and ginger in food processor and pulse to create a thick paste.  


Place ground lamb in large bowl.  Season with cayenne pepper, salt, black pepper and half of onion-garlic-ginger mixture and mix until combined.  Roll into 1 inch meatballs.

Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add meatballs, in batches if necessary to avoid overcrowding the pan, and cook until they are brown on all sides.  Once all of the meatballs are browned, move them to the edge of the pan and add the remaining onion-ginger-garlic paste.  Stir, and cook for about a minute.  Add the canned tomatoes, and 1/2 cup of chicken stock.  Stir and bring to a boil then reduce heat to low.  Cook until the mixture has thickened, adding more stock if needed, and the meatballs are cooked through.  It will take about 25 - 30 minutes.

Garnish with cilantro and serve over couscous, rice, or noodles.