Aromatic Lamb Meatball and Giant Couscous Stew
This aromatic lamb meatball and giant couscous stew is a comforting, flavourful and hearty dish packed with tender lamb meatballs, pearl couscous, and aromatic spices. Perfect for cosy nights in!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 15 g (⅓ cup) mint leaves picked
- 15 g (⅓ cup) flat leaf parsley leaves picked
- 1 onion grated
- zest and juice of half a lemon plus extra if needed
- 35 g (⅓ cup) dried breadcrumbs
- 50 g (⅓ cup) dried apricots finely chopped
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp ground coriander
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 500 g (1.1 lb) lamb mince (20% fat)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 750 ml (3 ¼ cups) vegetable or lamb stock (made using 1 stock cube or pot)
- 1 tsp paprika
- 0.5 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tbsp tomato purée
- 125 g (2 cups) giant couscous
- 150 g (5 cups) baby spinach
To serve (optional):
- pitta breads lightly toasted
Instructions
- For the meatballs, finely chop a third each of the mint and parsley and add to a bowl with the onion, lemon zest, breadcrumbs, apricots, 0.5 tbsp each of ground cumin and coriander, seasoning and the lamb mince. Mix together until very well combined. Then, using wet hands, shape into about 48 bite-size meatballs.
- Heat half the oil over a medium heat in a non-stick sauté pan or casserole and brown half of the meatballs for about 3 to 4 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally to brown them all over. Remove to a dish and deglaze the pan with a little stock, scraping any caramelised bits from the bottom of the pan. Pour this over the browned meatballs. Brown the rest of the meatballs in the remaining oil. When ready, tip the first batch of meatballs back into the pan and add the remaining cumin and coriander as well as the paprika, cinnamon and tomato pureé. Stir to coat.
- Pour in the rest of the stock and bring to the boil, then add the giant couscous, some seasoning and cover the pan. Simmer for 10 minutes.
- Add the spinach, lightly season and stir gently to combine, re-cover and cook for a further 5 minutes. Chop the rest of the mint and parsley and add, along with the lemon juice, to taste. Ladle into shallow bowls to serve, along with lightly toasted pitta breads, if you like.
Notes
- Alternative grains - if you don't have giant/pearl couscous, you can use pearl barley, quinoa or orzo as substitutes.
- Gluten-free option - replace the couscous with quinoa, rice or cauliflower rice.
- Low-carb option - replace the couscous altogether and serve the meatballs and stew with cauliflower rice or roasted courgette noodles.
- Spices - paprika or sumac will add depth of flavour, and harissa will add a touch of heat, if you like.
- This aromatic lamb meatball and giant couscous stew recipe is easily adapted if you’re cooking for less people.
Nutrition
Calories: 594kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 33g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 91mg | Sodium: 475mg | Potassium: 614mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 4752IU | Vitamin C: 27mg | Calcium: 131mg | Iron: 6mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Tried this recipe?Please consider Leaving a Review!