Greek Spiced Lamb Meatballs In Tomato Sauce Recipes

LITTLE LAMB MEATBALLS IN A SPICY EGGPLANT TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
• Combine eggplant, olive oil, salt and black pepper in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir until eggplant begins to soften, about 5 minutes.
• Mix in minced onion and red pepper flakes. Reduce heat to medium; cook and stir until onion softens, 4 minutes.
• Stir in chicken broth and marinara sauce. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until sauce mixture has reduced by half, about 30 minutes.
• Whisk bread crumbs, egg, and Greek yogurt in a large bowl until the bread crumbs absorb all the liquid, about 3 minutes.
• Mix onions, garlic, Kosher salt, black pepper, cumin, cinnamon, and coriander into the bread crumb mixture.
• Crumble lamb into bread crumb spice mixture; stir in cayenne pepper.
• Form lamb mixture into small meatballs and transfer to prepared baking sheet. Place baking sheet into the preheated oven and bake until browned, but still pink inside, about 10 minutes.
• Remove meatballs from the oven and stir into simmering sauce. Simmer over low heat until sauce begins to thicken, 30 to 45 minutes.
• Garnish with chopped fresh mint.

LAMB MEATBALLS WITH SPICED TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat broiler. In a large bowl, mix together the onion, cream, egg yolks, cinnamon, cumin, red pepper and cayenne. Put the lamb in the bowl, and season it aggressively with salt and pepper. Add the bread crumbs and parsley, and combine the mixture well. Shape the meat into balls that are a little larger than golf balls.
• Grease a baking pan with olive oil, and put the meatballs onto it, spaced evenly. Place beneath the broiler, and cook, turning once or twice, until the meatballs are well browned, approximately 5 to 7 minutes, then set meatballs aside. Turn oven to 400.
• Meanwhile, make the sauce. Pass the tomatoes through a food mill, or whizz them quickly in a food processor. Heat a saucepan over medium-high heat for a minute, then add olive oil, rosemary and red pepper and shake to combine. Cook for another minute, then add onion, thyme, cumin, cinnamon, cayenne and bay leaf and sauté until the onions are translucent, approximately 5 to 7 minutes. Add tomatoes, sugar, orange juice and peel, along with salt and pepper.
• Cook for 8 to 10 minutes over medium-low heat, until reduced by a third. Adjust seasoning.
• Pour the tomato sauce into a large baking dish that you can put on the table. Transfer the meatballs to the sauce, putting them about ½ inch from each other. Bake for 15 or 20 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling and the meatballs are cooked through.
• Top with crumbled feta and scattered mint.

MEATBALLS IN TOMATO SAUCE (SOUTZOUKAKIA)

Steps:

• Heat a good splash of olive oil in a cooking pot, over high heat.
• Caramelize the onion and garlic.
• Pour in the wine. Add the allspice and bay leaves. Wait until wine evaporates completely.
• Add the tomato paste, the canned tomatoes and cook for 1-2 minutes stirring constantly with a wooden spoon.
• Reduce the heat to medium. Add 4 cups of water, the sugar, ground cumin and season with salt and pepper. Simmer partly covered for about 30-40 minutes.
• Meanwhile, start making the meatballs.
• Preheat oven to 200°C / 392°F.
• In a mixing bowl, combine all of the ingredients for the meatballs.
• Knead the mixture for 2-3 minutes for everything to incorporate well. It should feel very soft and moist. And just firm enough to hold some shape. Otherwise, you may add another splash of water to it.
• Divide mixture to about 14 parts. Shape each into a round ball and then give it a bit of oval shape. Place in a baking dish or pan that fits the meatballs and is deep enough to include the sauce as well.
• Once you placed all the meatballs in the pan or baking dish, pour the sauce on top all over using a ladle. Bake for about 40-50 minutes. Flipping the meatballs at least once so they cook evenly all over.
• Serve with rice, pasta, or potatoes. I added some toasted pine nuts and chopped fresh parsley on top. You can also serve them with some spicy red pepper flakes and a spoonful of Greek yogurt on top.

GREEK MEATBALLS IN SPICED TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• For the Greek meatballs: In a food processor, or a mini food processor, combine the bread, milk, and mint leaves or dried mint. Process to get wet breadcrumbs. Alternatively, you can tear the bread into small pieces, then transfer to a bowl and mix in the milk. Let rest for 10 minutes, then vigorously stir to bread up the bread. Mix in the mint. Set aside.
• In a medium bowl, combine the onion, eggs, and oregano. Season with the salt and some freshly ground black pepper. Mix in the breadcrumbs, then add the meat. Using your hands, crumble the meat and mix it with the flavorings, making sure to thoroughly combine the meats and distribute the flavorings properly.
• Set a rack in the middle of the oven, then preheat to 425°F (210°C). Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil, then grease with cooking spray or by lightly coating with oil. Shape 1/4 cup (60 ml) of the meat mixture into an oval meatball. (You can alternatively shape the meat into 2 tbsp/30 ml round meatballs.) Transfer the meatball to the prepared baking sheet. Repeat to shape all the meatballs. You should get about 20 large oval meatballs, or 40 smaller, round meatballs.
• Bake large, oval meatballs for 14 minutes, or small, round meatballs for 9 minutes. Turn the broiler on and brown the meatballs for 1-2 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside if the spiced tomato sauce isn't ready yet.
• For the spiced tomato sauce: In a large saute pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the ground tomatoes, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and cayenne pepper, if using, and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer, then lower the heat and cook for 15 minutes, stirring from time to time.
• Nestle the meatballs in the sauce. Simmer over low heat for 10 minutes, or until the meatballs are hot and cooked through.
• SERVING: Garnish the Greek meatballs with crumbled feta cheese and chopped flat-leaf parsley. Serve with steamed rice or egg noodles and a side salad.
• STORAGE: Store leftover meatballs in portions in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 1 month.

SWEET AND SPICY GREEK MEATBALLS (KEFTEDES ME SALTSA DOMATA)

Steps:

• For the meatballs: In a large bowl, mix together the lamb, couscous, scallions, garlic, egg, parsley, olive oil, mint, oregano, salt, cumin, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper. Form the mixture into 15 to 16 (2-inch diameter) meatballs.
• For the sauce: Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs and cook until brown on all sides, about 6 minutes. Add the marinara sauce, cinnamon sticks, and ground cinnamon. Bring the sauce to a boil and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook, turning occasionally, until the meatballs are cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes. Discard the cinnamon sticks. Transfer the meatballs and sauce to a large bowl and serve.

SPICED LAMB KOFTAS BRAISED IN TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• First of all, you need to dry-roast the coriander and cumin seeds to draw out their flavour: place them in a small frying pan over a medium heat and toss them around for 2 minutes until they begin to jump and pop, then crush them as finely as possible with a pestle and mortar. Next, place the lamb in a large mixing bowl. Put the onions in a food processor, along with the mint and coriander leaves, then pulse everything until the onion is finely chopped. Transfer all this to join the meat in the bowl, add the spices and a good seasoning of salt and freshly milled black pepper, then mix everything thoroughly and evenly together with your hands (easiest) or a large fork (takes longer). Then take small amounts of the mixture and roll them with your palms into little rounds slightly larger than a walnut. Now heat about a tablespoon of the oil in a large frying pan over a medium to high heat and when it's hot, begin to brown the koftas, about six at a time, turning them to get brown on all sides. As they cook, transfer them to a plate and add more oil when needed as you continue browning all the others. Meanwhile, skin the tomatoes for the sauce. Place them in a heatproof bowl and pour boiling water on to them. After exactly a minute (or, if the tomatoes are small, 15-30 seconds), remove them from the water; slip off their skins (protecting your hands with a cloth if they are hot) and chop them into small pieces. You can also watch how to Skin Tomatoes in our Cookery School Video on this page. After that, place the casserole over a high heat, add another tablespoon of oil and when it's hot, soften the onions, stirring them around now and then and keeping the heat highish so they turn golden brown, which should take about 6 minutes. Next, add the garlic to the onions and cook for about a minute more. Now add the tomatoes and cinnamon, stir well, then add the koftas, stir once more, turn the heat down to low and let them simmer slowly for about 30 minutes with the lid on. Then remove the lid to allow the sauce to reduce, continuing to simmer for a further 30 minutes before serving.