Spiced Lamb Meatballs Recipe with Tomato and Yogurt

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Ground Lamb Recipe Spiced Meatballs

• 1 lb. ground lamb
• 1/2 small onion, grated or finely minced
• 1 clove garlic, finely minced or pressed
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 3/4 tsp. ground allspice
• 1/8 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. salt
• fresh ground pepper
• olive oil for pan frying

Ground Lamb Recipe Tomato sauce

• 2 tsp. olive oil
• 1/4 cup diced onion
• 1 (15 oz.) can crushed tomatoes
• heaping 3/4 tsp. oregano

Ground Lamb Recipe Yogurt sauce

• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2/3 cup plain Greek yogurt

Ground Lamb Recipe Rice

• 1 Tbsp. butter
• 1/4 cup diced onion
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 cup brown basmati rice
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 2 Tbsp. toasted pine nuts

Mix all the ingredients together for the ground lamb meatballs except the olive oil (being careful not to overmix, which could result in a tough ground lamb meatball) and form into ground lamb meatballs. At this point, I like to refrigerate the ground lamb mixture for 30 minutes or so (or longer, if you want) to marry the flavors and firm up the ground lamb meatballs.

To make the rice, heat the butter in a medium saucepan with lid over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, cooking until tender. Stir in the rice and cook for a few minutes to toast up the grains and coat them with the butter. Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Cover with a tight-fitting lid, reduce the heat to low, and cook for about 40 minutes. No peeking! Once done, take off the heat and let sit for a few minutes before fluffing with a fork and stirring in the toasted pine nuts.

To make the tomato sauce, heat the olive oil in a small saucepan and then add the onions, cooking until tender. Stir in the crushed tomatoes, oregano, and salt and pepper to taste. Reduce to a simmer and allow the mixture to cook as you are making the rest of the meal.

Add olive oil to a skillet over medium-high heat (I like using a nonstick skillet for this). In batches, fry the ground lamb meatballs until cooked through. Place on a paper-towel lined plate and keep warm until all the ground lamb meatballs are cooked.

Once all ground lamb meatballs are cooked, drain or wipe out the pan slightly (leave a little fat in there, but not as much as the oil and ground lamb have made). Turn the heat off, and then add the garlic clove (the residual heat will be more than enough to make it fragrant). Stir in the yogurt until just warmed through and season to taste with salt and pepper.

To plate: Top the rice with the ground lamb meatballs and a few spoonfuls each of the tomato and yogurt mixture.

This Ground Lamb Recipe is Perfect with:

• 100% Grass-Fed Ground Lamb
• Smith & Truslow Freshly Ground 100% Organic Spices