Lamb Meatballs with Tomato Pomegranate Sauce

Think you are not a fan of lamb? You will be after you try these Lamb Meatballs with Tomato Pomegranate Sauce.

Whew! I survived November! I thought October was busy, but November really kept me on my toes. And I didn’t even host the Thanksgiving feast in our family! Thanks to POM and our fun experiments with pomegranates, I am featuring one of the party favorites: Lamb Meatballs with Tomato Pomegranate Sauce.

I made these for my POM Party and served it as one of five appetizers. I love lamb and the gamey flavor doesn’t bother me. But these meatballs had a mild lamb flavor and the sweet-&-sour-pomegranate-spiked-tomato-sauce was lip-smacking good! All it was missing was some nice crusty bread to mop up the sauce. Mmmmm…. You could also serve this with pasta, too.

Some of my friends who don’t eat lamb really fell in love with this dish. They were surprised that they liked lamb. Our perceptions on foods and our likes and dislikes are always changing and evolving. Just because you had a bad experience with one type of food doesn’t mean you won’t like it in a different form. It’s a great lesson for ourselves to be more adventurous with our food, but also for our kids.

Now, all I have to do is to make it through December….

Lamb Meatballs with Tomato-Pomegranate Sauce

Author:

Laura Bashar

Think you are not a fan of lamb? You will be when you try this sweet and tangy combination. Recipe by Laura Bashar of Family Spice

Ingredients:

• 1 lb lamb, ground
• 1/4 cup green onions
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon, ground
• 1 1/4 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper, ground
• 2 TBS cornstarch
• 1 egg, large, lightly beaten
• 2 TBS parsley, American, chopped
• 1 TBS mint, fresh, chopped
• 28 oz diced tomatoes, canned, with juice
• 2 cup vegetable stock
• 3/4 cup pomegranate juice
• 3 TBS honey
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 TBS tomato paste
• 1 TBS lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 TBS extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, using your hands, combine until fully incorporated:
• 1 lb lamb, ground
• 1/4 cup green onions
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon, ground
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper, ground
• 2 TBS cornstarch
• 1 egg, large , lightly beaten
• 2 TBS parsley, American , chopped
• 1 TBS mint, fresh , chopped
2. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
3. Heat a large dutch oven over medium-high heat and add:
• 28 oz diced tomatoes, canned , with juice
• 2 cup vegetable stock
• 3/4 cup pomegranate juice
• 3 TBS honey
• 4 garlic cloves , minced
• 1 TBS tomato paste
• 1 TBS lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp cumin
4. Using a hand blender, purée tomatoes, leaving some tomato chunks intact.
5. Bring tomato sauce to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes.
6. Line a baking sheet with plastic wrap and scoop out 1 TBS of the lamb mixture.
7. Roll in your hands to form the meatball shape and place on the lined baking sheet.
8. Dip your hands frequently in a bowl of water to keep your hands damp, and to prevent the meatball mixture from sticking to you.
9. You will make approximately 30 meatballs.
10. Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat and add:
• 1 TBS extra virgin olive oil
11. Working in batches, place about a third of the meatballs into the hot skillet.
12. Brown each side of the meatball, gently rotating them every 3 minutes.
13. Place browned meatballs onto a plate lined with paper towels.
14. After meatballs drain, gently place them into the tomato sauce.
15. Continue browning meatballs until they are all cooked.
16. Simmer meatballs in the tomato sauce for an additional 40 minutes, until meatballs are cooked through and the sauce is thick.
17. Meatballs and sauce can be served at this point, or they can be refrigerated and reheated before serving.

Notes:

Serving Suggestions: This is a great recipe to make in advance and to reheat in the crock pot. Serve as an appetizer alone or with some crusty bread.

Prep Time: 20 mins

Yield: 15 servings

Cook Time: 1 hour 15 mins

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