Niamh Recipes

Middle Eastern Kofta Meatballs in Baharat Tomato Sauce

Name: Middle Eastern Kofta Meatballs in Baharat Tomato Sauce
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Dinner
Ingredients: 1 lb ground meat (lamb or beef, 400g-450g); 3/4 teaspoon salt; 3 tablespoon breadcrumbs (Norwegian: griljermel); 1 small onion (grated); 2 garlic cloves (grated); 1 tablespoon baharat (Arabic 7 Spice); 1 egg; 1/2 cup fresh parsley, loosely packed (large handful); 1 tablespoon olive oil; 1 medium yellow onion (chopped); 2 cloves garlic (grated); 28 oz canned, chopped tomatoes (800g); 1/2 cup water (125ml, or as needed); 2 bay leaves; 1 tablespoon baharat (Arabic 7 Spice); 1 tablespoon honey (if needed, or sugar); Salt (if needed, to taste)

Dinner

Kofta

4 servings

servings

15 minutes

active time

55 minutes

total time

Start Cooking

Ingredients

1 lb ground meat (lamb or beef, 400g-450g)

3/4 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoon breadcrumbs (Norwegian: griljermel)

1 small onion (grated)

2 garlic cloves (grated)

1 tablespoon baharat (Arabic 7 Spice)

1 egg

1/2 cup fresh parsley, loosely packed (large handful)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium yellow onion (chopped)

2 cloves garlic (grated)

28 oz canned, chopped tomatoes (800g)

1/2 cup water (125ml, or as needed)

2 bay leaves

1 tablespoon baharat (Arabic 7 Spice)

1 tablespoon honey (if needed, or sugar)

Salt (if needed, to taste)

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 375F (190C). Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, mix ground meat with all the other meatball ingredients, mix until cohesive. Best to use your hands for this! With lightly oiled hands, shape into 16 1 tbsp-ish sized balls.

To get a nice sear on the meatballs, you can quickly cook them on the stove in some butter on medium high heat. A minute or two on each side.

Bake on baking sheet or in oven-safe skillet for 12 minutes. This step can be omitted, and just cook the meatballs in the sauce until cooked through, see below.

In a large saucepan, heat olive oil or vegetable oil on medium heat. Add chopped onion and cook for about 5-7 minutes or until transluscent. Then add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Add all the rest of the ingredients apart from the honey and salt, and bring it up to a boil. Let it simmer for 5 minutes, or longer for more flavor.

Place the meatballs in the sauce and let simmer for 20+ minutes (30 if you didn't bake them first). Taste and adjust seasonings accordingly at the end. The longer you cook it, the less likely it is that you will need any extra sugar, honey or salt in the sauce.

Garnish with fresh parsley. Serve with couscous or rice, pomegranate arils and pita bread.

Nutrition

Serving Size

4 meatballs

Calories

381

Total Fat

13.3 g

Saturated Fat

3.9 g

Unsaturated Fat

8.4 g

Trans Fat

1 g

Cholesterol

142 mg

Sodium

633 mg

Total Carbohydrate

26.6 g

Dietary Fiber

5.7 g

Total Sugars

12.3 g

Protein

39.5 g