Middle Eastern Meatballs(with Potatoes & Peas)

As soon as the weather changes, I bust onto the dinner scene with these Middle Eastern Meatballs served with soft potatoes, green peas, and lots of sauce. No matter what the family is doing they run in when they smell this pot on the stove!

What to Love about Middle Eastern Meatballs

I’m not a huge tomato sauce girly- of course, there are times- but generally I make my meatballs with a teriyaki pineapple sauce like these ones in my cookbook, salisbury steak meatballs in the crockpot, or spiced with a healthy turmeric sauce like these.

• Healing. My husband swears a couple saucy plates of these meatballs take him from almost-having-a-cold-to feeling great overnight. I add a couple teaspoons of turmeric if anyone is feeling under the weather and im sure that’s the secret.
• Mini meatballs always! I make these mini for the kids and they’re just so fun to eat that way
• a full dinner- simmered with tender potatoes and peas with a great healthy sauce, this is everything in one pot.

Ingredients

This is one pot dinner and its done pretty quick too!

For the meatballs:

• Ground meat or chicken-either works here and i like to use what i have (which in my house is usually a leaner cut of ground beef)
• Onion– finely diced, adds a lot of bulk
• Fresh Parsley– this is the main fresh flavor and i use a lot of it
• Panko– my favorite tip for a fluffy meatball that is never dense is using panko in the mix, which is a thicker breadcrumb flake
• Spices– cumin, nutmeg, salt, and pepper give middle eastern flavor while still being palatable for the kids

For the sauce:

• Onion and Garlic– we start off sautéing the aromatics for a great flavor base
• Turmeric, cumin– turmeric has so many health benefits and adds a lovely yellow color to the potatoes and sauce
• Potatoes– use either whole baby potatoes or big potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
• Frozen green peas– we add at the end of cooking so they keep that bright green color and a little crunch.

FAQ

Middle Eastern Meatballs (with Potatoes & Peas)

Estee

A hearty healthy dinner to make with lots of middle eastern flavour.

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Servings 6 servings

Ingredients

  

For the meatballs:

• 1 lb 500 g ground meat or ground chicken
• 1 small onion finely grated or very finely diced
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
• 3 tablespoons panko breadcrumbs
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

For the sauce:

• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 small onion finely diced
• 3 garlic cloves minced
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 4-5 potatoes peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 3 cups boiling water
• 1 cup frozen peas

Instructions

 

Directions

• To make the meatballs, combine the ground meat, onion, parsley, panko breadcrumbs, cumin, nutmeg, black pepper, and salt in a large bowl. Mix gently with your hands until just combined. Form the mixture into small meatballs and set aside.
• Heat the olive oil for the sauce in a large, deep skillet or pot over medium heat. Add the diced onion and garlic and cook for 5–7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft and translucent and the garlic is fragrant.
• Add the turmeric, cumin, black pepper, and salt and cook for 30 seconds, stirring, until the spices are fragrant.
• Add the potatoes and boiling water and bring to a simmer. Carefully add the meatballs to the sauce, arranging them in a single layer as much as possible. Cover and simmer for around an hour, gently shaking the pan occasionally, until the potatoes are tender and the sauce has thickened a bit.
• Add the frozen peas, cover again, and cook for 3–5 minutes, until the peas are heated through and bright green. Serve warm, and enjoy!

Keyword meatballs, middle eastern