Lamb Meatballs with Tomato Pomegranate Sauce

Think you are not a fan of lamb? These lamb meatballs are plump, juicy and served with a sweet and tangy tomato pomegranate sauce to mop up with a baguette. Find more of my pomegranate recipes.

I grew up eating lamb. From stews to kabobs, lamb is one of the favorite meats to cook with in Persian cuisine. But I know that not everyone is a fan of the lamb flavor as I am.

My kids also love eating lamb. I’ve prepared grilled leg of lamb for them as well as lamb burgers, and they just love it.

So when I find lamb at the grocery store, even my middle eastern market, I quickly pick some up. Today’s recipe uses ground lamb. And instead of lamb burgers or kabob, I decided to make another favorite: lamb meatballs with tomato pomegranate Sauce.

Why this recipe is so awesome

Since I was preparing these lamb meatballs for a holiday party, I knew I wanted to bring in some of my favorite fall flavors into this dish. Lamb is a favorite meat in mediterranean cuisine so I decided to pair it with another favorite, a sweet and sour pomegranate tomato sauce.

I chose herbs and spices that would compliment the pomegranate sauce. So that included cinnamon, cumin, parsley, mint and green onions. As I mixed the meat together with the other ingredients, I could totally smell the herbs and spices fill my kitchen.

This mediterranean sweet and sour sauce is super aromatic and tasted incredible with my lamb meatballs. I like to serve these as appetizers. So you can add just toothpicks or serve with hearty bread.

You want that bread to sop up the delicious sauce!! My boys have use these lamb meatballs to make some fabulous meatball sandwiches, too.

Some of my friends were skeptical to try this dish because they always “hated lamb.” But I managed to change all of that and they fell in love with this dish.

See my Lamb Meatballs Web Story for a quick visual guide to making this recipe.

Ingredients you need

• Ground lamb: If you are not a fan of lamb, you could use ground beef instead.
• Honey: To make this a sweet and sour like sauce, I use honey to sweeten this dish.
• Pomegranate juice: You can use freshly squeezed pomegranate juice or store bought.
• Fresh herbs: I prefer fresh herbs in this dish. You will need green onions, parsley and mint.
• Seasonings: Ground cinnamon, cumin, salt and ground black pepper
• Pantry staples: Cornstarch, canned diced tomatoes, tomato paste, vegetable stock and extra virgin olive oil
• Egg
• Garlic

Step-by-step directions

1. In a mixing bowl, use your hands to combine lamb, green onions, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon cumin, salt, pepper cornstarch, egg, parsley and mint until fully incorporated. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

2. Heat a large dutch oven over medium-high heat and add tomatoes, vegetable stock, pomegranate juice, honey, garlic, tomato paste, ½ teaspoon cinnamon and ¼ teaspoon cumin.

3. Bring tomato sauce to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes. Using a hand blender, purée tomatoes, leaving some tomato chunks intact.

4. Scoop out 1 TBS of the lamb mixture. Roll in your hands to form the meatball shape and place on the lined baking sheet. Dip your hands frequently in a bowl of water to keep your hands damp, and to prevent the meatball mixture from sticking to you. You will make approximately 30 meatballs.

5. Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat and add olive oil. Working in batches, place about a third of the meatballs into the hot skillet. Brown each side of the meatball, gently rotating them every 3 minutes. Place browned meatballs onto a plate lined with paper towels. Continue browning meatballs until they are all cooked.

6. After meatballs drain, gently place them into the tomato sauce. Simmer meatballs in the tomato sauce for an additional 40 minutes, until meatballs are cooked through and the sauce is thick.

Recipe tips and FAQs

You easily prepare the meatballs the day before your party. The same goes with the sauce. Just reheat prior to serving.

I like to garnish this dish with more fresh herbs and a handful of pomegranate arils. Serve with pita bread or a nice warm baguette.

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Yield: 30 meatballs

Lamb Meatballs with Tomato Pomegranate Sauce

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Think you are not a fan of lamb? These lamb meatballs are plump, juicy and served with a sweet and tangy tomato pomegranate sauce to mop up with a baguette.

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour 15 minutes

Additional Time 30 minutes

Total Time 2 hours 5 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground lamb
• ¼ cup green onions
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 ¼ teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 2 TBS chopped fresh parsley
• 1 TBS chopped fresh mint
• 28 oz canned diced tomatoes
• 2 cup vegetable stock
• ¾ cup pomegranate juice
• 3 TBS honey
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 TBS tomato paste
• 1 TBS extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, using your hands combine lamb, green onions, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon cumin, salt, pepper cornstarch, egg, parsley and mint until fully incorporated.
2. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
3. Heat a large dutch oven over medium-high heat and add tomatoes, vegetable stock, pomegranate juice, honey, garlic, tomato paste, ½ teaspoon cinnamon and ¼ teaspoon cumin.
4. Bring tomato sauce to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes. Using a hand blender, purée tomatoes, leaving some tomato chunks intact.
5. Scoop out 1 TBS of the lamb mixture. Roll in your hands to form the meatball shape and place on the lined baking sheet. Dip your hands frequently in a bowl of water to keep your hands damp, and to prevent the meatball mixture from sticking to you. You will make approximately 30 meatballs.
6. Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat and add olive oil.
7. Working in batches, place about a third of the meatballs into the hot skillet. Brown each side of the meatball, gently rotating them every 3 minutes.
8. Place browned meatballs onto a plate lined with paper towels. Continue browning meatballs until they are all cooked.
9. After meatballs drain, gently place them into the tomato sauce.
10. Simmer meatballs in the tomato sauce for an additional 40 minutes, until meatballs are cooked through and the sauce is thick.
11. Meatballs and sauce can be served at this point, or they can be refrigerated and reheated before serving.

Notes

You can also bake the meatballs in the oven instead of pan frying them. Just roll them up and place on a baking sheet and bake at 425ºF for 15-20 minutes, or until browned.

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.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

15

Serving Size:

2 meatballs
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 136Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 42mgSodium: 337mgCarbohydrates: 9gFiber: 1gSugar: 7gProtein: 9g

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