Moroccan Meatballs in Spicy Sauce

Submitted by A la Carte

"You can make the meatballs in advance and freeze them to save yourself some time. This is from Cooking Light."

 

• Ready In: 6hrs 20mins
• Ingredients: 18
• Yields: 30 meatballs
• Serves: 6

ingredients

• Meatballs

• 1⁄2 cup plain breadcrumbs
• 1⁄4 cup dried currant
• 1⁄4 cup finely chopped onion
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1⁄2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1⁄4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 1⁄2 lbs lean ground beef
• 1 large egg white
• cooking spray

• Sauce

• 1⁄4 cup tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon fennel seed
• 1 teaspoon grated orange rind (use rasp)
• 1⁄2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1⁄4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄4 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 1 (28 ounce) can chopped tomatoes

directions

1. Combine the first 9 ingredients in a large bowl. Shape into 30 meatballs.
2. Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Coat the pan with cooking spray. Add half of the meatballs to the pan, cook 3 minutes or until browned, stirring frequently.
3. Place browned meatballs in a slow cooker, and brown the remaining meatballs.
4. Combine the tomato paste and next 7 ingredients. Add to the slow cooker with the remaining meatballs. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 hours.
5. Serve over couscous if desired.

Reviews

[Taylor A.]

Great recipe. Add grilled naan or pita bread with some tzatziki sauce and it's over the top

 

[LizzyGirl09]

this is GOOD. didnt use currant but the rest is great

 

[Meredith C-ville]

This looks like an ordinary dish but the flavoring gives it a pleasantly surprising bit of interest. I had only 1# of meat and no currants (not even raisins, somehow!), but used the same amount of the spices and thought the flavor was just right--this made I think 22 meatballs. I did not have the orange rind for the sauce. I do not have a crockpot: I browned the meatballs in a large skillet and then poured the sauce over and let it simmer. I actually then put it in the fridge for a day or two and then re-simmered for a while before serving. The meatballs were sturdy enough not to fall apart but did not dry out or get chewy. I added some sliced carrot to the sauce and served it over barley couscous. It was very filling, very warming, and decent from a health perspective as well.