The Harissa Meatballs Recipe’s origins are from the North African country of Tunisia, and it is, essentially, a delicately spiced chili pepper paste. Typically, meatballs using harissa are made with lamb, but I only had ground beef on hand. In addition to red chili peppers, the herb and spice combination can include such delicious components as garlic paste, coriander, saffron, rose, caraway, cumin, onion, etc.
Savory and Spicy Harissa Meatballs Recipe
Print RecipeIngredients
- FOR THE MEATBALLS
- 1 pound of ground beef
- 1 egg, beaten
- ¼ cup of unseasoned panko breadcrumbs
- 2 tablespoons harissa paste
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons fresh cracked black pepper
- 2 teaspoons ground turmeric
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 2 teaspoons granulated onion
- 2 teaspoons granulated garlic
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- FOR THE TOMATO SAUCE
- 1 (10-ounce) can of diced tomatoes with chilis
- 4 large Yukon gold or russet potatoes, cut into small chunks
- 1 tablespoon harissa paste
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon granulated onion
- 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flake
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon whole milk or cream
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
1. In a large pot, heat a tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add in all tomato sauce ingredients except the potatoes and milk and mix well.
2. Using an immersion blender (only if desired, but I prefer my sauces velvety), puree all the sauce ingredients together until nothing solid remains.
3. Throw in the potatoes and turn the heat up to high. Once the mixture begins to boil rapidly, cover and reduce the heat to low.
4. In a large cast iron skillet, heat the other 3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat.
5. While the oil heats, in a large bowl, combine all the remaining meatball ingredients and fold gently, without overmixing, until all ingredients are well-combined. Form the mixture into 10-14 even-sized meatballs.
6. Place the meatballs into the cast iron skillet and brown on all sides, but do not cook all the way through.
7. Remove the meatballs from the cast iron skillet and drain the excess oil on some paper towels. Remove the lid from the saucepot and place the meatballs gently inside without breaking them. Also, stir in the milk.
8. Turn the heat up to medium-low, cover the saucepot again, and let the mixture cook for 45 minutes to an hour, or until the potatoes are fork-tender.
9. Remove the pot from the heat and serve immediately.
Your serving options can include: tacos, pitas, pasta, rice, quinoa, or you can simply eat the meatball and potato mixture on its own.
This time, I chose to have it over some steamed jasmine rice with asparagus and mushrooms on the side.
I topped it with a mixture of plain Greek yogurt, dill, salt, pepper, lemon juice, cucumber, and tomato as a nice, cooling sauce to compliment the heat of the dish.
