Lamb meatballs deserve to be bathed in a rich tomato red wine sauce, I say! Serve them nestled in a herb and apricot couscous for this easy and warming dinner.
Red wine, tomatoes and lamb is a match made in heaven. We’re going to reduce the wine by half, and so it’s lovely and concentrated, and then use this as the base of our tomato sauce. The scent of the red wine will waft through your house, a smell I always love. Meanwhile, we’ll get our meatballs ready in the oven, and whip up some quick and easy couscous.
What are in these Lamb Meatballs?
- Meatballs: Lamb mince, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper
- Red wine and tomato sauce: Red wine, garlic, oregano, tomato paste, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, canned cherry tomatoes, salt and pepper.
- Couscous: Couscous, Dried apricots, Parsley, Olive oil
See recipe card for quantities.
What to serve with Lamb Meatballs?
We're serving our lamb meatballs with a rich tomato and red wine sauce, and nestled on a bed of couscous with apricot and parsley. Couscous is so easy and delicious, as long as you don't skip the olive oil - as you probably know, it makes everything better!
Should Lamb Meatballs be pink inside?
No - while it is fine for lamb cutlets to be pink inside, minced lamb or lamb meatballs should never be pink inside. We're going to make sure they are full cooked through by baking them in the oven for 20 minutes.
Do you really need eggs for meatballs?
No, you don't need egg in these meatballs. Because we're baking them they will be able to bind together undisturbed in the oven while being cooked, without the need for eggs to hold them together. If you plan to sear these in a pan instead then you will need something to bind them, as you'll be moving them around as they cook.
What's better for cooking meatballs - baking or pan frying?
Personally, I love baking meatballs, for a few reasons.
- Less mess! You can pop them all on a baking tray covered with baking paper (parchment paper) and then throw the paper away at the end.
- Less oil - you don't need to oil your pan.
- More even cooking - all the meatballs cook evenly.
- More efficient - you can cook more at the same time in the oven.
Some people prefer pan-frying because you can get a sear on the meat, and if that's what you're after, then just give them a bit of a blast under the grill (broiler) at the end of their cooking time, you'll get that lovely brown crispy bit.
More Meatball Recipes
- These Cheesy Greek Lamb Meatballs with Sweet Potato Wedges and Wraps are so scrumptious
- Asian-style Pork Meatballs with Chilli, Soy and Lime
- Vietnamese Chicken Bowl with Chicken Meatballs
How to make Lamb Meatballs
1. Preheat your oven to 200 C and get out a baking tray.
2. Peel and mince garlic (press or finely grate) and divide into two piles.
- 4 cloves garlic
3. Mix together lamb mince, half the garlic, dried oregano and salt and pepper. Roll into meatballs. Set on the baking tray and in the oven for 20 minutes.
- 500g lamb mince
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 teaspoon dried oregano
- Salt and pepper
4. Add red wine to a large deep frying pan and bring to a simmer, then turn down the heat to a low simmer and reduce for 8 minutes.
TIP: This will make your house smell like red wine, and so if you don’t like this smell, you could swap it out for chicken or beef stock.
- 1 cup red wine (sub chicken stock)
5. Meanwhile finely chop dried apricots and parsley (leaves and stalks). Put a kettle full of water on to boil.
- ½ cup dried apricots
- ½ bunch parsley
6. In a large heatproof serving bowl, add couscous, boiling water (from the kettle), olive oil and salt and pepper. Mix and place to the side and cover with a large plate or lid. Leave for 5 minutes until liquid is absorbed.
- 1.5 cups dry couscous
- 1.5 cups water
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Salt and pepper
7. After reducing the wine (all the alcohol will have burned off now), add remaining garlic and dried oregano, tomato paste brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper and canned tomatoes and bring to a simmer for 2-3 more minutes. Gently use the flat of your spoon to squash some of the cherry tomatoes.
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- Salt and pepper
- 2 x 400g cans cherry tomatoes
8. When the meatballs are done in the oven, add them to the red wine tomato sauce and coat well.
9. Little kids may prefer plain couscous, if so fluff their couscous with a fork and serve their portions with meatballs.
To serve adults, mix apricot and most of the parsley through the couscous. Serve saucy meatballs on a bed of couscous and top with remaining parsley.
- ½ cup dried apricots
- ½ bunch parsley
Substitutions
- Vegetarian - Instead of lamb you could create meatballs with veggie mince or mashed beans (your choice) rolled into balls.
- Gluten Free - Use Gluten Free couscous
- Dairy Free - No dairy
Kid-Friendly Variations
- Couscous - Little kids may prefer plain couscous, if so fluff their couscous with a fork and serve their portions with meatballs.
- Red wine - While reducing the red wine we’ll burn off the alcohol, but if you prefer you can use chicken or beef stock instead.
- To serve - Chop meatballs into little pieces and serve next to the couscous.
Equipment
You will need an oven, a baking tray, a large deep frying pan, a stovetop, a kettle, a large heatproof serving bowl.
Top tip
If you are not a fan of red wine, you can still make this delicious meal by swapping it out for chicken or beef stock. It will be a different, but still delicious flavour.
Recipe
Lamb Meatballs with Tomato and Red Wine Sauce
Equipment
- Oven
- Baking tray
- Large deep frying pan
- Stovetop
- Kettle
- Large heatproof serving bowl
Ingredients
- 4 cloves garlic
- 500 g lamb mince
- 2 teaspoon dried oregano
- salt and pepper
- 1 cup red wine sub chicken stock
- ½ cup dried apricots
- ½ bunch parsley
- 1.5 cups dry couscous
- 1.5 cups water
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 cans cherry tomatoes (400g per can)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 200 C and get out a baking tray.
- Peel and mince garlic (press or finely grate) and divide into two piles.4 cloves garlic
- Mix together lamb mince, half the garlic, dried oregano and salt and pepper. Roll into meatballs. Set on the baking tray and in the oven for 20 minutes.500 g lamb mince, 2 teaspoon dried oregano, salt and pepper
- Add red wine to a large deep frying pan and bring to a simmer, then turn down the heat to a low simmer and reduce for 8 minutes.TIP: This will make your house smell like red wine, and so if you don’t like this smell, you could swap it out for chicken or beef stock.1 cup red wine
- Meanwhile finely chop dried apricots and parsley (leaves and stalks). Put a kettle full of water on to boil.½ cup dried apricots, ½ bunch parsley
- In a large heatproof serving bowl, add couscous, boiling water (from the kettle), olive oil and salt and pepper. Mix and place to the side and cover with a large plate or lid. Leave for 5 minutes until liquid is absorbed.1.5 cups dry couscous, 1.5 cups water, 1 tablespoon olive oil, salt and pepper
- After reducing the wine (all the alcohol will have burned off now), add remaining garlic and dried oregano, tomato paste brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper and canned tomatoes and bring to a simmer for 2-3 more minutes. Gently use the flat of your spoon to squash some of the cherry tomatoes.salt and pepper, 1 tablespoon tomato paste, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, 2 cans cherry tomatoes (400g per can)
- When the meatballs are done in the oven, add them to the red wine tomato sauce and coat well.
- Little kids may prefer plain couscous, if so fluff their couscous with a fork and serve their portions with meatballs.To serve adults, mix apricot and most of the parsley through the couscous. Serve saucy meatballs on a bed of couscous and top with remaining parsley.½ cup dried apricots, ½ bunch parsley
Leave a Reply