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.
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,
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.