Moroccan Meatball Stew

Moroccan Meatball Stew. This is a real feast for the senses. not only incredible flavour, but the heavenly scent of this dish alone,  while cooking, is well worth the effort.

Originally Published Jan 2013.

Here's a terrific weekend or weekday slow cooked supper that will fill the entire house with the most amazing fragrance of spices. We enjoyed this meal recently with some homemade flatbreads and a nice big glass of cabernet sauvignon for mom and dad.

It really is a glorious combination of flavours from the sweet currents and raisins to the salty olives and with just the right amount of gentle spicy heat. This one is a keeper and will definitely be made again in our kitchen.

This recipe is also ideal for the slow cooker, just add the chickpeas along with the other ingredients as the only modification to the recipe.

Leave the olives until the very end just to warm them or the stew may be too salty. Or, if you don't care for olives, leave them out altogether.

What a delicious meal!

You may want to serve this with some easy  2 basic ingredient flatbreads. I sometimes just make our now famous Yogurt Flatbreads and serve it with or without the couscous.

Looking for more fresh dinner inspiration?

We've also added a collection of 25 Best Heathy Eating Recipes here.

Like this Moroccan Meatball Stew recipe?

You'll find hundreds of other great ideas in our Slow Cooked Sundays Category and even more in our Chicken Recipes Category.

It's easy to keep up with the latest home style cooking & baking ideas from Rock Recipes. Be sure to follow Rock Recipes Facebook Page and follow us on Instagram. Plus you'll see daily recipe suggestions from decadent desserts to quick delicious weekday meals too. 

Continue to Content

Moroccan Meatball Stew

Yield: 8 servings

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours

Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes

Moroccan Meatball Stew - this is a real feast for the senses; not only incredible flavour, but the heavenly scent of this cooking is worth the effort alone.

Print

Ingredients

For the meatballs

Toggle ingredient group

• ½ cup bread crumbs
• ¼ cup milk
• 2 lbs ground lamb, or beef
• 1 teaspoon dry oregano
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 beaten egg
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• a little olive oil for frying the meatballs

For braising the meatballs

Toggle ingredient group

• 1 diced carrot
• 1 stalk diced celery
• 4 cloves chopped garlic
• 1 diced red onion
• 6 cups diced canned tomatoes
• ¾ cup currents
• ½ cup raisins
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 small red chile minced or 1 tablespoon chili paste
• 2 tablespoon brown sugar
• salt and pepper to season
• 2 cups cooked or canned chickpeas, rinsed
• 1 cup olives, optional

Instructions

To prepare the meatballs

1. Soak the bread crumbs in the milk for 10 minutes.
2. Add the ground lamb (or beef), the oregano, nutmeg, beaten egg, salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce.
3. Mix well and form into 1 ½ inch balls. Fry the meatballs in in a olive oil to brown on all sides. Remove meatballs to a covered, oven safe pan.
4. To the frying pan add the diced carrot, celery, garlic and red onion. Saute together until the onions soften, then add this mixture to the pan with the meatballs along with all the remaining ingredients EXCEPT the chickpeas and olives.
5. Place in a 350 degree oven, covered for about and hour, then add the chickpeas. Return to the oven for an additional hour at 325 degrees F. In the last 10 minutes of cooking time you can add the olives if you are using them.
6. Serve over couscous.

Notes

When adapting this recipe to a slow cooker, proceed as normal but use the slow cooker on low to medium setting for several hours, up to 4 should be fine. Add the chick peas (and optional olives) in the last hour or so.

Nutrition Information

Yield

8

Serving Size

8 servings
Amount Per Serving Calories 585Saturated Fat 13gCholesterol 104mgSodium 853mgCarbohydrates 51gFiber 9gSugar 12gProtein 27g

Did you like this recipe?

Do you love our "Real food recipes for real people'? Share the recipe on Facebook to let your friends know about us. They'll thank you for it.