What I love about these Moroccan meatballs
My family has always been a fan of kofta. We love it and the kids never complain about it, so it’s on our meal plan at least once a month. We normally we serve it with a vegan tzatziki sauce, but we want to change things up, these Moroccan kofta meatballs are what we make.
This recipe is inspired by a Moroccan meatball tagine that I had at a restaurant in France – the same one that served my favorite spaghetti carbonara. Thanks to the cultural influence of North African immigrants on French cuisine, tagine was a pretty common menu item there, and one that I ordered frequently.
Typically a tagine – or tajine – is cooked in a ceramic dish of the same name, but I just couldn’t justify purchasing one for the occasional use, so I made due with my large skillet, but you could do also use a Dutch oven or cast iron skillet, as long as it can be covered.
→ If you like this recipe, you should try these: Moroccan sweet and spicy shrimp / Moroccan couscous / easy garlic rice / harissa maple glazed pork chops
Frequently asked questions
To achieve a tender meatball there are a couple things to keep in mind, moisture and mixing. You never want to over compress the meat when mixing, if you squish and squeeze the meat when mixing and forming the meatballs they will become more dense. Moisture is important also, the leaner the meat the more moisture the meat will absorb so keep that in mind.
This goes back to the importance of moisture in the meatballs, simmering them will allow for more moisture to be absorbed. Simmering also allows the flavors of the meat to seep into the sauce adding flavor to the sauce as well.
Baking meatballs is definitely a healthier option. If you are not able to bake them, you could pan fry them until they are cooked through before transferring to the sauce to simmer.
→ More meatball recipes: grape jelly meatballs / Buffalo chicken meatballs / Greek meatballs (keftedes) / Thai chicken meatballs with peanut sauce
Moroccan Meatballs
Ingredients
- For the meatballs
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 pound ground lamb, or beef
- 1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs
- 2 tablespoons dried minced onion
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon all-spice
- 2 teaspoons coarse salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
For the sauce:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 – 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 15- ounce cans crushed tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon coarse salt
- 2 teaspoons champagne vinegar
Instructions
- Prep. Preheat oven to 400˚F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Mix the meatballs. Combine the meatball ingredients in a large mixing bowl and use clean hands to mix everything together. Roll the mixture into 1 1/2 inch meatballs, about 3 tablespoons per meatballs.
- Bake the meatballs. Place meatballs on a baking sheet and bake the meatballs for 10 minutes. They should be browned but not completely cooked through when you remove them.
- Make the sauce. While the meatballs bake, make your sauce by heating olive oil to medium-high in a large skillet. Add the garlic and sauté until it’s nice and fragrant – about 30 seconds. Stir in the remaining sauce ingredients a reduce heat to a simmer.
- Simmer the meatballs. After baking the meatballs for 10 minutes, transfer them (and any juices that have accumulated on the baking sheet) to the sauce and cover the pan. Let them simmer for an additional 10 minutes to allow the meat to flavor the sauce and give the meatballs time to cook through.
- Garnish and serve. Remove the pan from the heat and garnish with fresh chopped cilantro before serving.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Great recipe. I have a ton of picky kids with food allergies across the spectrum and this one works for everyone. They begged me to add it to the regular rotation. Thanks so much!
Great meal for kids and adults alike. The kids love the meatballs, but its sophisticated enough for adult palates. Pairs nicely with roasted potatoes and even eggplant. Thanks so much!
Our family is obsessed with this recipe! We’ve made 3 or 4 times since finding it and it turns out amazing every time.