Homemade Lamb Meatballs with a fruity couscous and a tzatziki dip is very simple and ready in just 30 minutes. Minced or ground lamb is combined with ground cumin and coriander and the fresh flavours of lemon zest and mint. Nothing needs to be pre-cooked and all the meatball ingredients can be combined together in a bowl before being baked in the oven. This really is a very straightforward lamb meatball recipe. If you enjoy lamb with these eastern flavours, you might also like my Lamb Tagine, another simple version ready in just 35 minutes.
Recipe Tips and Variations
- Meatballs are made with minced or ground meat, but this is also a great leftover lamb recipe if you need to use up meat from a roast or BBQ for example. Just put any cooked lamb through a food processor to turn it into mince and follow the recipe as normal.
- I like to bake the meatballs in the oven. This is less work than frying them and takes just 20 - 25 minutes. In this time, I make the couscous salad and the tzatziki. You can of course fry the meatballs if you prefer. Add some oil to a pan and keep turning them over to make sure they are evenly cooked. Frying will take about 12 minutes.
- I've made a fruity couscous to go with the meatballs as the sweetness of the dried apricots and sultanas goes well with the lamb. You could also add dried cranberries, raisins or even mango. If you want to make the couscous go further, stir through some cooked chickpeas.
- Couscous is a staple in North African cooking and is a tiny pasta made of wheat or barley. I use a moroccan couscous which is the smallest couscous as it cooks in just a few minutes. You could also use Israeli or pearl couscous which is larger and takes about 10 minutes to cook.
- I like to serve the lamb meatballs and couscous with a homemade tzatziki dip. Tzatziki has a refreshing flavour and is made with natural yoghurt, cucumber, lemon and garlic. There's no cooking involved, just stir all the ingredients together. You could also serve these meatballs with a homemade flatbread, which is also very straightforward to make and needs just 3 ingredients.
- If you'd like more meatball recipes, check out my Pork Meatballs in a tomato sauce
How to make it
Lamb meatballs 
Ready for oven 
Fruity couscous 
Tzatziki
- Pre-heat the oven to 200C /400F /Gas Mark 6
- To make the lamb meatballs, mix the cumin, coriander, garlic, half the lemon zest, half the chopped mint and beaten egg together in a bowl with the mince. Use your hands to mix it really well and roll into balls about the size of walnuts. Try to make them all a similar size so they cook evenly. Place them in an oven proof dish and bake in the oven for 20 - 25 minutes. Don't use a baking sheet as lamb will loose some of its fat as it is baked and you need a dish to catch it.
- For the fruity couscous, add the couscous to a large bowl with the apricots, sultanas, most of the lemon juice and zest and pour over the hot stock. Leave a little bit of lemon juice to add to the tzatziki. Give it a good stir then cover with a large plate. Leave it to stand for 10 minutes.
- Fluff up the couscous with a fork and stir in the pine nuts, feta cheese, and the rest of the chopped mint.
- To make the tzatziki, mix all the ingredients together in a bowl.
- Serve the meatballs with the couscous, tzatziki and a green salad.
Sustainability
Lamb Meatballs is a tasty way of using up any leftover lamb, just put it through a food processor to turn it into mince. You can of course use fresh lamb mince. Remember if you are using leftover lamb you should only re-heat it once. Another great dish for using up leftover lamb is Lamb Tagine. Buying meat from a local source will help reduce your carbon footprint.
Storage
Lamb meatballs can be stored in the fridge for 2 days and can be frozen for up to 3 months. Remember, if you used lamb that was already cooked, you should only reheat cooked meat once, but you can enjoy lamb meatballs cold. Couscous salad can be kept in the fridge for up to 4 days. Couscous shouldn't be left out at room temperature for more than 2 hours so once it is cooled, keep it in the fridge. A homemade tatziki will keep for as long as the date on the natural yoghurt that you used.
Lamb Meatballs with Fruity Couscous and Tzatziki
Homemade Lamb Meatballs with a fruit couscous and a tzatziki dip is very simple and ready in just 30 minutes. Minced or ground lamb is combined with ground cumin and coriander and the fresh flavours of lemon zest and mint.
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoon ground cumin organic, fairtrade
- 2 teaspoon ground coriander organic
- 1 garlic cloves organic, peeled and crushed
- 2 lemons organic, fairtrade, juice and zest of
- 20 g fresh mint organic, chopped
- 1 eggs organic, beaten
- 500 g lean minced lamb organic
Fruity Couscous
- 300 g couscous organic, fairtrade
- 50 g dried apricots organic, chopped
- 40 g sultanas organic
- 300 ml chicken stock organic
- 75 g pine nuts organic
- 75 g feta cheese organic, chopped 1cm cubes
Home made Tzatziki (optional)
- 200 g fat free greek yoghurt organic
- 100 g cucumber organic, peeled, desseded and grated
- 1 dash lemon juice organic, fairtrade
- 2 garlic cloves organic, peeled and crushed
- 1 tablespoon olive oil organic, fairtrade
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 200C /400F /Gas Mark 6
- In a bowl, mix the cumin, coriander, garlic, half the lemon zest, half the chopped mint and egg together with the mince. Use your hands to mix it really well and roll into balls about the size of walnuts. Place them in an oven proof dish and bake in the oven for 20 - 25 minutes. Don't use a baking sheet as lamb will loose some of its fat as it is baked and you need a dish to catch it.
- Put the couscous in a large bowl, add the apricots, sultanas and most of the lemon juice and zest and pour over the hot stock. Give it a good stir then cover. Leave it to stand for 10 minutes.
- Fluff up the couscous with a fork and stir in the pine nuts, feta cheese, and the rest of the chopped mint.
- To make the tzatziki, mix all the ingredients together in a bowl.
- Serve the meatballs with the couscous, tzatziki and a green salad.
Notes
Tips
- Meatballs are an excellent way to use up any leftover lamb from a roast or BBQ for example. Just put any cooked lamb through a food processor to turn it into mince and follow the recipe as normal.
- If you prefer to fry the meatballs, add some oil to a pan and keep turning them over to make sure they are evenly cooked. Frying will take about 12 minutes.
- You could also add dried cranberries, raisins or even mango to the fruity couscous. If you want to make the couscous go further, try adding in some cooked chickpeas.
- I use a moroccan couscous which is the smallest couscous as it cooks in just a few minutes. You could also use Israeli or pearl couscous which is larger and takes about 10 minutes to cook.
- Serve with a homemade tzatziki dip or a homemade flatbread,
- If you'd like more meatball recipes, check out my Pork Meatballs in a tomato sauce
Storage
Lamb meatballs can be stored in the fridge for 2 days and can be frozen for up to 3 months. Remember, if you used lamb that was already cooked, you should only reheat cooked meat once, but you can enjoy lamb meatballs cold. Couscous salad can be kept in the fridge for up to 4 days. Couscous shouldn't be left out at room temperature for more than 2 hours so once it is cooled, keep it in the fridge. A homemade tatziki will keep for as long as the date on the natural yoghurt that you used.Nutrition per serving
Calories: 991kcalCarbohydrates: 97gProtein: 46gFat: 49gSaturated Fat: 17gTrans Fat: 2gCholesterol: 153mgSodium: 460mgPotassium: 821mgFiber: 9gSugar: 24gVitamin A: 858IUVitamin C: 47mgCalcium: 203mgIron: 6mg
The Nutritional Values are computer generated estimates based on industry standards and are provided as a helpful guide only.
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