Turkish lamb meatballs recipe
If you're looking for a satisfyingly hearty dish this winter, tuck into a bowl of meatballs in a lightly-spiced broth. Adding a swirl of houmous, pine nuts and a sprinkling of pomegranate seeds adds even more incredible flavour to an already flavour rich dish.
See method- Serves 4
- 15 mins to prepare and 20 mins to cook
- 593 calories / serving
- Freezable
Ingredients
- 2 slices white bread
- 150ml milk
- 500g minced lamb
- 1 tsp ground allspice
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp very finely chopped shallots
- 1 tbsp very finely chopped red onion
- 1 tbsp plain flour
- 300ml chicken stock
To serve
- 200g houmous
- 2 tbsp pine nuts, toasted
- handful chopped fresh dill
- handful chopped mint leaves
- handful flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- ½ tsp sumac (optional)
- 2 tbsp pomegranate seeds (optional)
- couscous, cooked to pack instructions (optional)
Each serving contains
- Energy
- 2470kJ 593.0kcal
- Fat
- 44g
- Saturates
- 10g
- Salt
- 1.7g
- Sugars
- 3g
of the Reference intake
Carbohydrate 18.9gProtein 31.7gFibre 3.4g
Method
- In a shallow bowl, soak the bread in the milk. Put the lamb, spices and garlic in a food processor, add the soaked bread and pulse a couple of times to combine. Roll the lamb mixture into 24 meatballs of equal size and set aside on a plate.
- Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large frying pan and brown half the meatballs all over. Repeat with another 1 tbsp oil and the remaining meatballs.
- Once browned, set the meatballs aside on a plate. Add the remaining 1 tbsp oil to the frying pan and cook the shallot and onion for 2-3 mins. Stir in the flour and cook for a further minute, then pour in the stock, stirring, before returning the meatballs to the pan. Cover with a lid and simmer gently for 12-15 mins, until the meatballs are cooked and the gravy has thickened.
- Serve the meatballs topped with the houmous, pine nuts and chopped herbs. Scatter over the sumac and pomegranate seeds and serve with the couscous.
- See more Lamb recipes
Freezing and defrosting guidelines
Freeze the meatballs only. Cook as instructed and allow to cool completely. Then transfer to an airtight, freezer-safe container, seal and freeze for up to 1-3 months. To serve, defrost thoroughly in the fridge overnight before reheating. To reheat and serve, place on medium heat, stirring occasionally until the dish is heated through.
- For top tips on protecting you and your family when preparing raw meat and poultry, visit Food Safety in the Home.
