Name: BEST Moroccan Meatballs
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 7 min
Total time: 37 min
Cuisine: Moroccan
Ingredients: 1 small slice of bread, toasted and soaked in water or milk until soft; 1 1/4 lb lean ground beef or ground lamb (or a mixture of beef and lamb); 1 small red onion, grated; 2 garlic cloves, minced; Small handful fresh cilantro, chopped; 2 1/2 to 3 tsp Ras El Hanout spice blend (about 5 to 6 g); 1/2 tsp ground ginger (about .87 g); 1/2 tsp cayenne, more if you enjoy spicy (about .88 g); Salt and pepper; 3 tbsp (about 42 ml) extra virgin olive oil (I used Private Reserve Greek extra virgin olive oil.); 4 carrots, peeled (I used rainbow carrots of different colors, but any carrots work here); 3 tbsp (about 48 ml) orange juice; Extra virgin olive oil (I used Private Reserve Greek extra virgin olive oil); Salt and pepper; Handful fresh mint leaves, torn (about 5 or 6 large leaves); Cherry tomatoes, halved; shallots or onions, thinly sliced; Fresh parsley; Marinated olives; Tztaziki Sauce or plain Greek yogurt; Pita pockets or flatbread of your choice

These are the best Moroccan meatballs you will make at home! Traditionally called kefta, these easy, skillet meatballs, pack tons of flavor from aromatics and warm Moroccan spices. Serve them in pita pockets with minty carrot salad, olives, and other fresh items, for the perfect casual dinner! Or, use them as a little party appetizer! Be sure to check out all my tips and watch the video below.

I get super excited about meatballs--inexpensive, easy, and there are just so many ways to dress them up! Start with ground meat--which acts as a canvas for whatever seasoning you like--add flavors of choice, form into bite size balls and cook!

In the short life of this blog, we've done Greek meatballs two ways--lemony keftede meatballs, and these saucy over-sized meatballs that are perfect over rice. Ah, and other favorites like Turkish-style baked meatballs, and of course, Lebanese cinnamon braised meatballs. Endless possibilities!

Today, I'm going for a bit of a North African vibe with these homemade Moroccan meatballs. These perfectly seasoned little meatballs are a nod to street food from Marrakesh; you'll the fresh and fun items to serve alongside, including a shaved carrot salad I spotted in Jamie Oliver's Food Escapes.

Moroccan Meatballs

Let's get to the gist of these Moroccan meatballs. These are easy skillet meatballs, formed into smaller bite-sized pieces and simply grilled in your cast iron skillet or pan. They take like 7 minutes or so to cook!

But, take one bite, and the Moroccan flavors hit your taste buds in the best way possible! The meatball mixture incorporates: grated onions, garlic, fresh cilantro (you can use parsley, if you must), a hint of ground ginger and cayenne, and the star spice blend: Ras El Hanout. All the flavor!

Spices for Moroccan Meatballs

Ras El Ha nout is one of my new personal favorites. It's a complex North African spice blend combining warm flavors like cinnamon, turmeric, cloves, allspice, cardamom, ginger, mace, nutmeg, and a touch of cayenne. If you live in the USA, check out our online store for all-natural Ras El Hanout here.

Ras El Hanout is hard to replicate, so try to use it. However, if you need to, an alternative spice mixture could be: ¾ teaspoon each cumin, coriander, paprika, and ½ teaspoon allspice and ½ teaspoon ground ginger.

A Few Tips for These Skillet Meatballs

1- These meatballs are meant to be small bite-sized pieces to be picked up by hand an appetizer or stuffed in pita pockets (more on this later.)

2-If you have the time, it's good to form the meat mixture into small balls, arrange them on a tray, and cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes or so. This just helps them keep their shape. However, if you're working quickly and using already chilled meat, you can skip this part.

3- These small meatballs are meant to be grilled, not fried and are meant to have a bit of a nice char. That's why, all you need is a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil right on the meatballs before they hit the pan. Now, you may need to add a little more extra virgin olive oil to the skillet to make sure the meatballs don't stick.

4- This recipe will yield between 25 to 35 meatballs, depending on size. Served in pita pockets as dinner, it should serve 4 or 5 people. But, if serving as an appetizer along with other items, it should serve a larger crowd (1o or so).

How to Serve Moroccan Meatballs

This is meant to be casual and inviting, and there is no right or wrong way to serve these skillet meatballs.

You can leave them in the skillet and serve them as an appetizer along with other items. Or, if you want to serve them for dinner, you can load them up in pita pockets, as they do on the streets of Marrakesh. Add olives, sliced cherry tomatoes, onions, fresh parsley. I like a bit of cool Tzatziki sauce (personal preference) or plain Greek yogurt.

If you're up to it, make the simple shaved carrot salad as well. It's just a combination of ribboned carrots with a little orange juice, olive oil, and fresh mint.

Watch the Video to See How I Make These Moroccan Meatballs and a couple ways to serve them: