Fragrant Lamb Meatballs with Indian Curry Sauce- a simple easy dinner that is full of flavor! Gluten-free and Paleo!
I don’t want to end up simply having visited this world. ―
Juicy, plump, Lamb Meatballs are deliciously seasoned with garam masala spice, then bathed in the most fragrant Indian Coconut Curry Sauce. Serve them over a bowl of this basmati rice, or baby spinach or cauliflower rice for a hearty flavorful dinner that will take you to faraway places.
On the homefront: As I type this morning, I’m looking over the city of Memphis, here for the Saveur Blog Awards. Tomorrow I make my way to India, the place of food dreams. I can’t help but reflect on my life a little and acknowledge the incredible role food has played. Food, unlike religion or politics, has the beautiful ability to bring people together and connect them, instead of divide. In my life personally, I’ve felt this power repeatedly, first hand. From the restaurant I once owned, where one night I stood looking around at all the guests and understanding for the first time, the idea of community, and how food creates this. To asking the simple question to a stranger in a foreign land, what do you like to cook? Which so often has become the doorway to making a new friend. I understand more deeply than ever, that food, for me, has always been about connection.
This week I’ve partnered once again with American Lamb who is hosting a A Sunday Funday Sweepstakes, giving away all sorts of wonderful prizes. I’d love nothing more than for one of you to win, so make sure to enter! Today I’m using local and sustainably raised American lamb, which to me has such great flavor compared to imported lamb. Because local lamb doesn’t have to travel as far, the meat itself is much fresher. Plus I love supporting our local economy.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with cooking lamb, starting off with ground lamb is an easy, approachable way to get your feet wet. And swapping out ground lamb for ground beef in most recipes is a simple way to take everyday dishes to the next level, adding another layer of flavor, richness and complexity.
Once the lamb meatballs are seared, make the easy Indian Curry Sauce.
Then gently simmer the lamb meatballs in the sauce until the lamb is cooked through.
Serve it over a bowl of basmati rice, or if going low carb, try cauliflower rice or even a bowl of spinach.
Either way you decide to serve it, I know you will love the amazing flavor of these Indian Lamb Meatballs.
And just a little side note- by the time you get this, I will be making my way over to India. Follow along on Instagram Stories – I’d love to have you along!
Sylvia
Lamb Meatballs with Indian Curry Sauce
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 35
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 10-12 meatballs
- Category: Main
- Method: stovetop
- Cuisine: indian
Description
Lamb Meatballs with Indian Curry Sauce- a simple easy dinner that is full of flavor! Gluten-free, Keto and Paleo! Serve it over rice, cauliflower rice or a big bowl of spinach!
Ingredients
Lamb Meatballs
- 1 lb ground American lamb
- 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 1 shallot, finely minced ( or sub ½ cup chopped onion)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon dried mint ( or 1 tablespoon fresh)
Indian Curry Sauce
- 2 tablespoons ghee, butter or olive oil
- 1 shallot, diced
- 4 cloves garlic- minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, grated or use paste
- 1 tsp fresh turmeric, grated (or ½ teaspoon ground turmeric)
- 1 tablespoon garam masala spice
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 2 teaspoons dried fenugreek leaves ( optional, but really good- elevates the dish )
- 1 extra large tomato, finely diced, with juices
- 1 13.5 oz coconut milk (not lite)
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar ( or coconut sugar or alternative )
- ½ teaspoon salt, more to taste
- ¼–½ tsp cayenne, more to taste
Serve over basmati rice, cauliflower rice or a bowl of baby spinach.
Instructions
Start the rice if making.
Place ground lamb, shallot, garlic, salt, garam masala and mint in a bowl and mix well, using your hands. Using wet hands, form into 1 ½ inch wide balls. ( about 10 meatballs)
Heat a large skillet with olive oil. Begin searing the lamb meatballs, until most sides are nicely browned, about 10 minutes. ( You can finish cooking them through in the sauce, so just brown them at this point)
At the same time you could start the sauce ( or wait and use the same pan).
Heat ghee in a skillet over medium heat. Add shallot and cook 3-4 minutes. Add garlic and ginger and cook two more minutes. Add all the spices and then the tomato and its juices. Cook 1 minutes. Add the coconut milk and simmer gently for 3-4 minutes. Add the sugar, salt and cayenne. Taste and adjust salt and heat.
Add the lamb meatballs to the sauce, coating well. Simmer gently until the lamb meatballs are cooked through ( 5-10 minutes). Serve over your choice of rice, cauliflower rice, or baby spinach.
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I made this for dinner last night and my husband and I both LOVED it. I didn’t have any mint so I left that out, and I don’t like coconut milk in my curry, so I replaced it with 1 cup of cream and about 1/4 cup splash of skim milk (so it wouldn’t be too thick). The meatballs and the curry itself for delicious. We served it with freshly toasted naan. It was delicious!
★★★★★
Perfect Andrea! Great way to adapt!
Hi! I’ve cooked quite a bit of Indian food and found that I don’t care for recipes when I used coconut milk. I haven’t made a lot of lamb dishes though. Is there an alternative I can try? Can I substitute with another liquid or can I do half coconut milk, half something else? Thank you!
I’d just use some cream or even yogurt? The yogurt will give more tang, so taste as you go. 😉
I just made this recipe for Father’s Day and my husband said it was the best dish that I’ve ever made! Thank you!
★★★★★
yay!!! Love that. Thanks for sharing! 🙌
I made this recipe and thoroughly enjoyed it. It was easy to make and delicious. My son-in-law is from Sri Lanka and loves lamb. He had this for lunch and gave it a thumbs up! Thank you for your recipes. I can count on them being accurate, delicious and healthy.
★★★★★
Thanks Jennifer- glad you both liked it!
I didn’t have mint, and decided to one drop of organic peppermint essential oil into the meat ball mix and it was delightful! I did cut back on the spices a bit as I am serving little kids. We all loved this meal and will make it again!
★★★★★
I don’t have any mint on hand. Will it be ok without? Also I’m serving little kids, what is the spice level, should I dial the spices back? Thanks!
Perhaps taste your Garam Masala to see if it is spicy, and if so, yes cut it back. I think it will be fine without mint. Maybe add dried thyme or something along those lines. 🙂
Excellent recipe. The combination of flavours is superb. I made it as written with the only substitution of dairy 10% cream for coconut milk because I had none on hand.
★★★★★
Hi, I made this recipe last night and I would make the following revisions : a cup and a half yogurt is too tart change to no more than 4-5 TBSPS or use cream and or half and half. I don’t like coconut milk in my curies. The Garam Masala according to Madhur Jaffrey should be used at the end of cooking and then sparingly. I like heat!, but between my Garam Masala mix and only a quarter tsp. of cayenne I melted my eyebrows. I realize that all of us have different tastes. In this recipe I would only use one tsp.Garam Masala tops in the sauce at the very end. I do enjoy your website Thanks Dan
Thanks Dan! Yes, I suppose the spice level should be different if not using the full can of coconut milk (which the recipe was designed around). I see how it would be important to it cut back, especially if subbing 4-5 tablespoons of Yogurt in place of the coconut milk.
Made this for lunch today and it was delicious! My kitchen smells divine! I doubled the meatballs and it was the perfect ratio of sauce to meatballs for me. This is going into my “Recipes to Keep” folder. Looking forward to trying more of your recipes (just signed up today).
★★★★★
Great to hear, thanks Jeanne!
So, every recipe I’ve tried from Feasting at Home has been…exceptionally good. After making this tonight, I decided to *finally* post a comment noting my appreciation. Couldn’t get ground lamb, cut pieces from a leg of lamb, slow cooked it and served w/quinoa. Super good!
★★★★★
Awww… thanks Desiree, I really really appreciate this and all your comments today! xoxo
I want to try this but cannot stand coconut except in sunscreen lotion. There is something about that sweet-bitter that just destroys my palate. I love curry anything so long as there is no coconut. What do you think about an alternative creamy filler like say sour cream or a stepped up tart yogurt? Or some combination of several alternatives?
Hi Ed, I would just use heavy cream. The sour cream may give it too much tang???
Wow, this sounds delicious & I can’t wait to try it! One question: if I don’t have a fresh tomato on hand (it’s off season right now), could I sub canned diced tomatoes or tomato paste or sun-dried? If so, what would you recommend in terms of amount? Thanks!
Yes, canned diced tomato would work just fine.
Do you think I could make this and leave it in a crock pot on warm to serve on Christmas?
I like the idea of this- but honestly, I’m not experienced enough with crockpots to answer this. My hesitation would be that the meatballs may fall apart a little? Although they may be totally fine! Use your best judgement and please will you let us know how it works out?
Fabulous recipe! Found it by searching lamb curry meatballs. My husband brought me a gigantic $10 heirloom tomato from Met Market in West Seattle, so sauce was a bit soupy, but
reduced it down and it was amazing! In a huge hurry, so I baked the meatballs on a rack in the oven to 145*, then into the sauce!
★★★★★
Love that you baked them!
Made this tonight for tea but instead of meatballs I did beef mushrooms and onions and it was delicious cant wait to make it again x
★★★★★
Awesom Jackie! Did you leave the mushrooms whole?
Awesome Jackie! Did you leave the mushrooms whole?
Delicious! Definitely something I will make again.
★★★★★
This looks great, as do many of your recipes. Just wondering if I could leave out the sugar? I try to avoid added sugar, including alternatives. Would it change the taste that much? Thanks!
I think it would be fine in this recipe to leave it out.
Really good depth of flavour, easy and quick to make, this is definitely a recipe to keep !
★★★★★
Hi just wanted to ask about coconut milk, how much is it 1 13.5 oz?
Yes! Sorry for the delay!
Love this recipe – I prefer baking the balls on high heat to get rid of most of the fat that the lamb produces. The curry sauce is delicious and everything can be put together quickly. Thank you 🙂
★★★★★
Love that tip Simi! Thank you!!!
Love this recipe!!! I’ve already made it twice. One quick question – how long do you recommend frying the meatballs and then cooking in the sauce before serving?
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Just fry until golden on most sides, then let cook through in the sauce, another 5-10 minutes or so. 🙂
I’m going to make this, this weekend. You say it makes 10 meatballs and the nutrition facts states “serves 5”. You just serve 2 each? As I see in your picture there are 4 n the bowl, which is what I would do but then makes the dish 872 calories per serving or is the serving amount a typo? Thanks
Hi Rachel, yes, unfortunately this is very high in calories, and basically why I reduced the serving size to two meatballs. I didn’t realize until after I photographed it.
Made this last night as written. It was fantastic. Will now be my go to recipe for ground lamb
★★★★★
Yay!!! I like this one too! Glad you enjoyed!
This was quite delicious. The curry sauce was excellent. The only thing I did differently was for the meatballs. I diced up some water chestnuts and added them to the mixture. I could easily see myself making a batch of just the curry sauce. Seems pretty versatile, maybe even freeze some.
★★★★★
Sylvia,
Your ‘Lamb Meatballs with Indian Curry Sauce’ was superb. And it was posted on your blog before your trip to India. We look forward to seeing more Indian food recipes after your trip.
Gordon
★★★★★
I made this last night, delicious! The sauce directions mention sautéing shallot but there is no shallot amount in the ingredients list.
Thanks for letting me know and I will fix it! xo
I made this last night for dinner and it was excellent. It was also very easy to pull together. The flavors of the curry really are just right. I will keep this in the rotation.
★★★★★
Im so glad you liked it! Thanks for sharing!
Made it just as written and it was absolutely delicious!
★★★★★
I appreciate you writing this post so much. It made me a little teary to read your thoughts on food and togetherness. I live in Ventura County and I awoke to the news of the Thousand Oaks mass shooting and two wild fires here. I felt overwhelmed this morning like the earth is being torn in two, slowly, right before our eyes. I needed your reminder today. I choose to focus my love and attention on nurturing my surroundings. I choose the slow and beautiful meditation of cooking, stirring, giving, gathering instead of the things I can not control. The world is a better place around the table. Thank you for your soft reminder and gentle nudge in a direction that serves me better. You changed my day 🙂
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Hi Laurie, Im so sorry to hear about the shootings and wild fires. I used to live in Thousand Oaks. I’ve been traveling so hadn’t heard. Hang in there. Remember the good in the world. Sending love and hugs.
Wow awesome recipe with full of nutrients. As a Nutritionist I appreciate this recipe with all healthy ingredients. Many Thanks for posting this recipe, I will must try to home.
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Could this be frozen?
yes, I think it ould be fine!