Moroccan Meatballs are an incredibly delightful dish made with ground beef seasoned with warm spices, fresh herbs, and garlic. The meatballs are cooked and then simmered in a delicious tomato sauce!
Moroccan Meatballs
This dish is very exquisite, and it tastes like a million bucks. This is one of my favorite meatball recipe as it takes about 35 minutes to be ready. Also, the meatballs and tomato sauce use the same ingredients that allow me to prepare both at the same time.
They are so flavorful and the addition of mint, parsley, cinnamon, and cumin gives them a distinct North African flavour.
What's in the Moroccan Meatballs In Tomato Sauce?
For the meatballs
- Ground beef: I used ground beef with 12% fat, which makes the meatballs juicy. You may also use lamb instead of beef.
- Fresh ginger and Garlic: I add fresh and minced ginger and garlic to the beef to flavor it.
- Egg: You’ll need one large egg; if you don't prefer using eggs, you can skip it.
- Onion: Finely chop the onions in medium size. Saute the onions before adding the meatballs.
- Seasonings: I use cinnamon, paprika, cumin, ground coriander, salt, and pepper.
For the sauce
- I use oil, tomato puree, tomato paste, beef broth, chopped onion, and minced garlic to prepare the delicious tomato sauce. All of these mentioned ingredients are easily available, they are probably found in all kitchens easily.
- Seasonings: To create the perfect taste I season the tomato sauce with salt, ground black pepper, and red pepper flakes. Traditionally the Moroccan meatballs are very spicy, but you can add spices according to your preference.
- Garnishing: I use fresh mint leaves or coriander to garnish this dish (optional).
How to Make This Easy Moroccan Meatballs In Tomato Sauce?
Making the meatballs: In a large mixing bowl, mix all the meatball’s ingredients well until combined.
Shape the meat into medium-size meatballs.
Cooking the meatballs: In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat, then fry the meatballs until golden brown (all sides). It will take 5-7 minutes (If your skillet isn't large, you may fry them in batches).
Making the sauce: In a pot, heat the oil, then saute onion for 1 minute or until softened. Add the garlic and saute for one minute more.
Now, add beef broth, tomato puree, tomato paste, salt, ground black pepper, and red pepper flakes. Stir and bring to boil. Then reduce the heat to simmer for 5 minutes.
Toss the meatballs in the sauce, cover the pot and let it simmer for 15 more minutes.
Garnish with chopped mint leaves and serve over spaghetti or rice.
Sauté The Meatballs Before Adding Them To The Sauce
Traditional Moroccan meatball recipes call for tossing the uncooked meatballs directly into the sauce. I tested the dish both ways and discovered that browning the meatballs in a pan before adding them to the sauce gives a better texture for this dish.
Moroccan Spices
If you like using Moroccan spices such as Rass al Hanout, That will be good as well. You can use ¼ teaspoon of this spice. It will provide a good taste, and it is easily available in any ethnic grocery store. You may also use my Meatball Seasoning Recipe to season the beef before cooking!
How To Serve Them
Couscous, pasta, rice, and crusty bread are all excellent options. This recipe pairs wonderfully with a fresh green salad with a vibrant lemony vinaigrette. Personally, I like to serve them with pasta, Elote Corn Salad or Couscous Salad With Vegetables.
More Meatball Recipes
Recipe Card
Moroccan Meatballs In Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
For the meatballs
- 500 g ground beef
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 egg
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- ⅛ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
For the sauce
- 1 tablespoon oil
- ½ cup beef broth
- 2 cups tomato puree
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, mix all the meatballs ingredients well until combined.
- Shap the meat into medium size meatballs.
- In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat, then fry the meatballs until golden brown (all sides). It will take 5-7 minutes (If your skillet isn't large, you may fry them in batches).
- In a pot, heat the oil, then saute onion for 1 minute or until softened, add the garlic and saute for one minute more.
- Now, add beef broth, tomato puree, tomato paste, salt, ground black pepper and red pepper flakes, stir and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to simmer for 5 minutes.
- Toss the meatballs in the sauce, cover the pot and let it simmer for 15 minutes more.
- Garnish with chopped mints leaves and serve over spaghetti or rice.
Wafa says
The meatballs were well seasoned, and the sauce has the perfect constancy. My daughter loved these Moroccan meatballs. Thanks for sharing the recipe 🙂