Bring the flavors of Morocco into your home with this wonderful dish of Moroccan Meatballs! They're very easy to make, with a simple spice mixture that is used to flavor the meatballs and the sauce.
These meatballs are gluten-free (no breadcrumbs or bread added!).
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Moroccan meatballs
These Moroccan meatballs will have your taste buds dancing! If you're into trying new flavors, then you've got to try these wonderfully spiced meatballs.
For this recipe, I used a few Moroccan-inspired seasonings to make the meatballs completely different than traditional Italian meatballs. These meatballs are not spicy, but they're full of spices and flavor.
The ingredient list might seem long, but the meatballs themselves are so easy to make. Just mix the spice seasoning together, use some for the tomato sauce, and add some to your meatballs. Form the meatballs, and bake! It's hands-off from there.
Related recipe: Chicken Kofta Kebabs
What to serve with Moroccan meatballs
These meatballs are baked in a Moroccan-spiced tomato sauce (don't worry, you're not making the sauce from scratch, we're doctoring up store-bought marinara and completely transforming it!). Because of the sauce, these Moroccan meatballs are best served over anything that will benefit from a little sauciness.
I served them with creamy polenta (recipe included below!), but they're also great over rice (try this garlic turmeric rice). As for veggies, any roasted veggies will do. I served the meatballs with green beans, but you can try these roasted radishes with tahini sauce for something different.
A few shavings of Parmesan cheese are also a great addition! (Please excuse my really old pictures below.)
Related recipe: Air Fryer Polenta Fries
What kind of meat to use for Moroccan meatballs
Moroccan meatballs are traditionally made with lamb, or with a combination of lamb and ground beef. In this recipe, I used ground beef only, because that is a lot more accessible to most of you (budget-wise, and also easily availably in stores).
If you're watching your red meat intake, you can certainly make these with ground turkey, or a combination of ground turkey and ground beef.
Related recipe: Bison Meatballs
Related recipe: Try this Moroccan Lentil Vegetable Soup!
Ingredients
Make sure to read the ingredient tips below before getting started!
For the meatballs:
- 1 lb ground beef - (90% lean or 93% lean works best)
- 24 oz jar marinara sauce
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup fresh mint leaves, finely diced and tightly packed
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1.5 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground white pepper
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Optional: Shaved Parmesan for garnish
For the polenta:
- 4 cups water (or as many as the packaging for the cornmeal requires)
- 1.25 cups coarse ground yellow cornmeal
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 teaspoon salt
Related recipe: Moroccan Chicken Pumpkin Stew
Equipment
- Large bowl
- Measuring spoons
- 9x11-inch baking dish (or a similar size, about 2-2.5 quarts, or a 12-inch cast iron pan that's REALLY well seasoned)
- Aluminum foil
More ethnic-spiced main dishes: Dukkah Chicken
Instructions
Step 1: Preheat oven to 400F. Pour the marinara sauce into a 9x11-inch baking dish (approximately 2.5 quart).
Step 2: In a large bowl, combine all the spices from the coriander to the nutmeg and mix well.
Step 3: Add 2 tablespoons of the spice mix to the marinara sauce and gently stir to combine.
Step 4: Add the ground beef, egg, and mint to the bowl containing the rest of the spice mixture and mix well using your hands.
Step 5: Form ~1 inch meatballs and place them gently into the spiced marinara sauce.
Step 6: Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 400F for 20 minutes. (Hint: make the polenta while the meatballs are cooking).
Step 7: Carefully remove the aluminum foil after 20 minutes and cook uncovered for another 10 minutes, or until the meatballs are fully cooked. Serve meatballs over polenta, spooning extra sauce on top. Optional: Add a few shavings of Parmesan cheese on top.
Step 8: Make the polenta: Add 4 cups water, butter, and salt to a pot and bring to a boil. Slowly add the cornmeal while stirring, and lower the heat to very low (if it is too high, hot polenta might splash out!). Continue cooking for ~20-25 minutes, stirring every 2-3 minutes, until cooked to your liking. I like my polenta a little coarser with some texture, so I cook it around 20 minutes.
Recipe tips
→ If you like this recipe, I would recommend making this spice mix ahead of time (mix together the coriander, paprika, garlic, onion, salt, oregano, cumin, pepper, cinnamon, and nutmeg) and making 4-5x the amount, so you have it on hand for next time.
→ The amounts of the seasonings don't have to be super exact, so you can use the same teaspoon for most of these and just measure out the spices into the teaspoon over a bowl. This way you don't have to wish 50 different spoons after making the spice mix.
→ Don't skip the fresh mint for this recipe, it really gives the meatballs a fresh taste. Don't worry, they won't taste minty, but the mint adds a unique flavor. If you can't get mint, then use fresh parsley instead.
→ I used coarse cornmeal to cook the polenta from scratch, which takes a bit longer (20-30 minutes). You can use instant or quick-cooking polenta and follow the instructions on the packaging.
Other ethnic-inspired recipes you will love:
If you enjoyed this recipe, let me know with a comment and a star rating below. And don't forget to share it on Facebook and save it on Pinterest for later!
Moroccan Spiced Meatballs with Polenta and Green Beans
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef - (90% lean or 93% lean works best)
- 24 oz jar marinara sauce
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup mint leaves - finely diced and tightly packed
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1.5 teaspoons salt - to taste
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground white pepper
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Optional: Shaved Parmesan for garnish
- 4 cups water
- 1.25 cups coarse yellow cornmeal - or follow instructions on packaging for quick-cooking polenta
- 1 tablespoon butter - or olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
Special equipment
- 9x11 inch baking dish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F. Pour the marinara sauce into a 9x11-inch baking dish (approximately 2.5 quart).
- In a large bowl, combine all the spices from the coriander to the nutmeg and mix well.
- Add 2 tablespoons of the spice mix to the marinara sauce and gently stir to combine.
- Add the ground beef, egg, and mint to the bowl containing the rest of the spice mixture and mix well using your hands. Form ~1 inch meatballs and place them gently into the spiced marinara sauce. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 400F for 20 minutes.
- Carefully remove the aluminum foil after 20 minutes and cook uncovered for another 10 minutes, or until the meatballs are fully cooked. (Hint: make the polenta while the meatballs are cooking).
- Make the polenta: Add 4 cups water, butter, and salt to a pot and bring to a boil. Slowly add the cornmeal while stirring, and lower the heat to very low (if it is too high, hot polenta might splash out!). Continue cooking for ~20-25 minutes, stirring every 2-3 minutes, until cooked to your liking. I like my polenta a little coarser with some texture, so I cook it around 20 minutes.
- To serve: arrange 4-5 meatballs and a few tablespoons of sauce over a cup of polenta. Add a few shavings of Parmesan on top.
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional information displayed is an estimate and not to be used as dietary or nutritional advice. Consult a nutritionist or dietician for nutritional info based on the exact ingredients you use.