Lebanese Meatballs
Recipe by
The View From the Great Island
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Lebanese Meatballs ~ you can't help but fall in love with these tender beef and lamb meatballs made with tons of fresh herbs, spices, and tangy goat cheese! This is the perfect addition to your next Mediterranean dinner or mezze platter!
Ingredients
- ½ lb ground beef
- ½ lb ground lamb
- 1 egg (beaten)
- ½ cup fresh bread crumbs ((grind some fresh in your mini processor if you have any bread lying around)
- ½ cup finely crumbled goat cheese (you can use feta)
- ½ cup finely chopped scallions
- ¼ cup parsley
- ¼ cup chopped mint
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground cardamom (or cinnamon)
- 1 tsp ground allspice
- salt and freshly ground pepper
- 2 tbsp olive oil for browning
- pine nuts for garnish
- yogurt Sauce
- 2 cups yogurt
- ¼ cup Tahini (optional)
- ½ cup cilantro, parsley, mint, or a combination (finely minced)
- ½ Lemon juiced
- clove garlic (minced)
- salt to taste
Method
- Set oven to 350F
- For the meatballs: Put everything except the olive oil into a large bowl. Make sure you egg is pre-beaten. With as little manipulation as possible, combine all the ingredients thoroughly together. The less you work the mixture the more tender your meatballs will be.
- Form into small balls and set on a plate. Using a scooper makes the process clean and easy. Mine was 1 3/4 inch.
- If you want to do this part ahead, you can, just cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate till you're ready to cook.
- Heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet and brown the meatballs, in batches, for several minutes, turning them once or twice in the pan.
- Transfer the meatballs to a baking sheet and bake for about 10 to 15 minutes, until done. The time will depend on the size of your meatballs, I like to use my cooking thermometer to check one; it should read about 160 degrees. They will continue to cook a bit after they're out.
- For the sauce mix up all the ingredients and thin with a little milk if it seems too thick. This can be made ahead.
- Serve the meatballs with the sauce and a few pine nuts for garnish.
View the recipe instructions at The View From the Great Island