Glazed Moroccan Spiced Lamb Meatballs

Beautifully spiced Moroccan Lamb Meatballs served with a delicious apricot sauce. Eat them in some pita bread, pass them around at a party or pile them over rice!

I love meatballs! I cook them way more often than I probably should.

Lately my meal prepping has gotten super predictable and I needed something new, these Moroccan spiced lamb meatballs came into my life at the perfect time. A few weeks ago I attended an event by Spice Islands seasonings where they announced their national cooking school and partnership with Taste Buds Kitchen. I had a chance to sample several recipes created by Tara Bench, blogger of Tara Teaspoon and had a blast. Tara created some recipes to show off how Spice Island Seasonings can take your every day cooking to the next level. I sampled these Moroccan Lamb Meatballs and it was a party in my mouth.

The foodie in me loves to cook, eat and recreate dishes. I normally rack my brain and experiment with spices until I get the recipe right, but luckily Spice Islands seasoning partnered with me so all I had to do was cook. If you love Moroccan food, you’ll be amazed at how simple this recipe is to prepare. Spice Islands seasonings quality is top notch and sourced from various regions, resulting in flavors that are very authentic. This recipe also includes some fresh seasoning ingredients like scallions, parsley, onion, garlic and lemon zest.

If you love Moroccan food, you’ll be in food heaven. As you bake these lamb meatballs your kitchen comes alive with the smell of the amazing spices. The spices like cumin and garlic, mix in with the lamb and apricot so well. My whole apartment was smelling delicious and had me wondering if this is what a Moroccan kitchen would smell like. I can see myself eating these lamb meatballs often!

These Moroccan Lamb Meatballs are made with lamb in this recipe, However I’m sure they would be terrific if made with beef, chicken or even turkey. Lamb is one of the primary meats in Middle Eastern cooking, so stick with lamb if you want to keep this recipe authentic.

I hope you enjoy making and eating this recipe as much as I did. I’m sure if you check out my Instagram stories when I’m meal prepping you will see this meatball recipe in rotation.

Here is the recipe:

Glazed Moroccan-Spiced Meatballs
Makes 43 mini meatballs
Work time: 40 minutes
Total time: 1 hour 15 minutes

½ cup apricot preserves
Zest from 1 lemon
Juice of ½ a lemon
½ teaspoon Spice Islands® Cayenne Pepper
1 teaspoon Spice Islands® Course Mediterranean Sea Salt
¼ teaspoon Spice Islands® Ground Cumin
¼ teaspoon Spice Islands® Ground Saigon Cinnamon
½ teaspoon Spice Islands® Ground Ginger
½ teaspoon Spice Islands® Ground Coriander
¼ teaspoon Spice Islands® Ground Allspice
1 lb ground lamb
3 scallions, green and white parts chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
⅓ cup flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped
2 tablespoons mint leaves, chopped
⅓ cup finely diced, dried apricots
Toasted pine nuts

1. Heat oven to 375ºF. Stir together the apricot preserves, lemon zest and juice, salt and cayenne pepper. Set aside.

2. In a small bowl combine the salt, cumin, Saigon cinnamon, ginger, coriander, and allspice. In a large bowl mix together the ground lamb, scallions, garlic, tomato paste, parsley, mint, dried apricots and spice mixture.

3. Roll mixture into 1-inch balls and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake until cooked through, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and brush generously with glaze. Serve with extra glaze and topped with extra mint and chopped pine nuts. Can be served room temperature as well.

 

Authentic flavors make me love a dish even more and this one doesn’t disappoint. The taste of the Glazed Moroccan Spiced Meatballs bursts in your mouth with savory lamb and seasonings like cumin, allspice, cayenne pepper and apricot sauce. This recipe is slightly forgiving if skip an ingredient, but its best to use the exact ingredients if you can find a direct substitute. Once you make this recipe let me know what you think!