Moroccan Meatballs with Pomegranate Glaze can be a festive holiday appetizer, or served up as a main- either way, you’ll love the tasty combination of flavors. Love appetizers? See our 25 Best Appetizer Recipes!

Moroccan Meatballs with Pomegranate Glaze- a festive holiday appetizer ( or turn into a meal) that can be made ahead! | www.feastingathome.com #Cavitwines #LivetheCavitLifeArt washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life. ~Picasso~

Hi friends, hope this finds you well and rested. Just one more celebration to go!  You can do it!

Here is a little appetizer inspiration for New Year’s Eve – a big hit in our catering business. Festive Moroccan Meatballs with Pomegranate Glaze – sumptuous and flavorful and best of all, these easy guys can be made ahead, then reheated in the oven right before your guests arrive.

They also make a delicious holiday dinner, served over fluffy mashed potatoes, couscous, quinoa, or a bed of seasoned lentils. Make them with ground lamb or beef, your choice. Here, I used lamb.

Our favorite Moroccan Meatballs!

We love this Moroccan meatballs recipe because they are fragrant and bursting with Moroccan Spices! Bathed in a pomegranate glaze, it’s a marriage made in heaven!  There is something truly special about cooking with pomegranate that makes your soul come alive.  They are so vibrant, potent, mystical and healing.

If cooking for one or two, know these will freeze well, so save half for later. I promise you won’t forget about them in your freezer, they are that good. 😉

Moroccan Meatballs with Pomegranate Glaze- a festive holiday appetizer, or serve as a sumptious main dish with fluffy cous cous. | www.feastingathome.com

How to make Moroccan Meatballs

To make the meatballs, place all ingredients in a bowl and mix with your hands until well combined. EASY right? You can use ground lamb or round beef.

Using wet hands, form ping-pong-sized balls and set aside. You’ll have roughly 12-16 meatballs.

Make the Pomegranate Sauce!

Heat a little oil in a skillet and brown on all sides lightly over medium heat. Reduce the pomegranate juice at the same time (it takes about 15 minutes).

Cook the Moroccan meatballs, pan-searing in a skillet.

Moroccan Meatballs with Pomegranate Glaze- a festive holiday appetizer, or serve as a sumptious main dish with fluffy cous cous. | www.feastingathome.com

Pour the warm glaze over the meatballs, garnish with fresh pomegranate seeds and herbs and serve as an appetizer with mini forks.

Moroccan Meatballs with Pomegranate Glaze- a festive holiday appetizer, or serve as a sumptious main dish with fluffy cous cous. | www.feastingathome.com

Ways to Serve Moroccan Meatballs

  • Serve as an appetizer with mini forks on a platter.
  • Serve as a  sumptuous main course –  think holidays or even Valentine’s Day over fluffy mashed potatoes, rice, couscous or quinoa.

Moroccan Meatballs with Pomegranate Glaze- a festive holiday appetizer, or serve as a sumptious main dish with fluffy cous cous. | www.feastingathome.com

The deep and flavorful Pomegranate Glaze is bright and tangy.

Moroccan Meatballs with Pomegranate Glaze- a festive holiday appetizer, or serve as a sumptious main dish with fluffy cous cous. | www.feastingathome.com

Moroccan Meatballs with Pomegranate Glaze- a festive holiday appetizer, or serve as a sumptious main dish with fluffy cous cous. | www.feastingathome.com

Hope you enjoy!

More Ground Lamb Recipes:

P.S. Get ready for January “Detox” – clean, plant-based recipes for the WHOLE entire month!

xoxo

 

 

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Moroccan Meatballs

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 18 reviews
  • Author: Sylvia Fountaine | Feasting at Home Blog
  • Prep Time: 15 mins
  • Cook Time: 30 mins
  • Total Time: 45 mins
  • Yield: 16 meatballs 1x
  • Category: appetizer, entree, beef, lamb
  • Method: stovetop
  • Cuisine: Moroccan

Description

Moroccan Meatballs with Pomegranate Glaze – a festive holiday appetizer or sumptuous dinner served over fluffy cous cous, rice or quinoa.


Ingredients

Units Scale

MEATBALLS:

  • 1 fat shallot, very finely chopped – reserve 1/3 for the sauce.
  • 1 lb. ground lamb, beef, or a combo
  • 45 large garlic cloves, minced or crushed through a garlic press
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup chopped herbs – flat leaf parsley, mint or cilantro or a blend
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon coriander
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, more to taste
  • 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup toasted bread crumbs (feel free to use gluten-free bread crumbs

Pomegranate Glaze

Garnish: pomegranate seeds, fresh herbs (cilantro, parsley or mint), or optional toasted pine nuts


Instructions

  1. Sart the Pomegranate Glaze. In a small saute pan or pot ( do not use cast iron)  saute shallot in a drizzle of olive oil, over medium heat for 3 minutes, or until tender. Add pomegranate juice, a pinch of salt and pepper, maple, balsamic, and allspice. Bring to a simmer, turn heat to medium, then simmer uncovered for 15-20 minutes or until it reduces to ½ cup. Turn heat off.
  2. While its simmering make the Meatballs, place meatball ingredients in a medium bowl and, using hands, combine well, adding enough breadcrumbs to make them easy to roll into balls.
  3. Using wet hands, roll them into ping-pong sized balls (about 1 ¾- 2 inches in diameter) and set aside. You should have about 12-16.
  4. To cook the meatballs: Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Working in batches (don’t overcrowd) brown the meatballs, giving the skillet a little shake now and then to roll them around a bit and cook each side. Once browned, turn the heat down to the lowest setting, cover and cook through for just a couple of minutes.
  5. Place in an oven-proof dish, pour glaze over top and keep warm until ready to serve, or refrigerate and reheat.
  6. Garnish with fresh pomegranate seeds and herbs.

Notes

The pomegranate juice may react to a cast-iron or aluminum  pan, so use a stainless or enamel pan.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 meatball with pomegranate sauce
  • Calories: 156
  • Sugar: 4.3 g
  • Sodium: 271.5 mg
  • Fat: 6.8 g
  • Saturated Fat: 2.8 g
  • Carbohydrates: 17.1 g
  • Fiber: 1.1 g
  • Protein: 7.5 g
  • Cholesterol: 41.4 mg

 

 

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Comments

  1. Hello – Is there a way to use pomegranate molasses instead of pomegranate juice? Trying to skip the evaporation step.

    1. Hi Charlene! Yes, I bet that would be fine- use ½ cup, but perhaps add the maple syrup to taste, you’ll need less, maybe even none?

  2. Hello! I would love to make this for NYE as an appetizer. Would it be just as delicious if I prepare the meatballs the evening before? Would you recommend just making the meat mixture, refrigerating and then proceeding the next day or is it your experience, it’s best to make it from start to finish on the same day? Thank you!!! Cheers and Happy Holidays!

    1. This would be fine made ahead- either cook the meatballs ahead and reheat, or make the balls and sauce but don’t cook unitl right before. Either will work.

  3. Wonderful flavors! This got rave reviews as an appetizer. Next time I make it, I will try making the meatballs smaller and more manageable to eat as an app.






  4. FYI, there is not way the nutrition info is correct. The size of each meatball looks to be 25-30 grams, **most** of which would be water, but adding the fat+carbs+protein from the nutrition comes to more than 30 g per meatball.

    1. Hi there, the nutrition info was for 2 meatballs- I changed it to 1 meatball ( 16 meatballs per recipe) including the sauce. 🙂

  5. Hi Sylvia. Love your unique recipes! I plan to make this the night before and reheat in the oven. What temperature and time do you recommend?

    1. Thanks Anne! I would reheat at 350F for 20 minutes or until internal temp reaches 140F

  6. Hi
    I love your website. I am a health and wellness practitioner and I send my clients to your website all the time. I was wondering about this dish can I keep it warm in a crock pot? Should I put sauce on while the meatballs stay warm or have the sauce on the side for people to put on individually. Thanks again for making delish easy to make food!!

    1. Hi Jen- I am just guessing here but I think they would be great in a crockpot- maybe with the sauce to keep them from getting dry?

  7. I made this as an amuse bouche for Thanksgiving. It was amazing. My husband, who’s a picky anti-plant based gourmand, thought it was the best thing I cooked that day. I made it with Impossible Meat so that my son who’s a vegetarian could eat it.






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