These tender beef meatballs are flavored with the warm spices of ground cumin and cinnamon. Along with some fresh parsley, fine breadcrumbs, one egg and some minced garlic, the meatballs are formed and baked in a hot oven until set and browned. I like serving these Moroccan-inspired meatballs over some peppery watercress greens, along with a side of fluffy cous cous topped with a healthy ragout of eggplant, tomatoes, and onions.
(To view this recipe, click on the blue title of the blog post above*)
Moroccan Meatballs with Tomato-Eggplant Cous Cous
Ingredients:
- 1 lb. grassfed, organic ground beef
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup dried breadcrumbs
- For the ragout:
- 2 Tablespoons olives oil
- 1 eggplant, medium dice
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 2 tomatoes, diced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 Tablespoon tomato paste
- 1/4 cup dry white wine
- 1/4 chopped fresh parsley
- For serving: cooked couscous and peppery watercress greens
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place all of the meatball ingredients into a large mixing bowl. With your hands or a large rubber spatula, mix the ingredients together into incorporated. Roll the mixture into 8 meatballs. Spray a baking sheet with olive oil; bake the meatballs in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes. (or until their internal temperature is 165 degrees) Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
- To make the ragout, place the diced eggplant, onion, tomatoes, salt, pepper and olive oil in a large saute pan. Cook, stirring often with a wooden spoon, over medium heat for 10-12 minutes, or until the eggplant is becoming tender. Next, add the tomato paste to the pan and cook for another minutes; add the wine and parsley; reduce the heat to low and simmer for another 10 minutes or until the tomatoes start to break apart. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed.
- Serve the meatballs over the peppery greens, with some of the cooked cous cous and ragout over top.
Tagged: beef, beef meatballs, cous cous, cumin, eggplant, eggplant-tomato cous cous, fresh parsley, garlic, grassfed beef, ground cinnamon, ground cumin, Moroccan meatballs, Moroccan meatballs with cous cous, Morocco, stewed eggplant and tomatoes, tomatoes
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