Beautifully plated and seriously delicious, baked Middle Eastern meatballs with hummus and tabbouleh served with warm flatbread, yum! An easy lamb mince recipe that is perfect for any weeknight. We are sure this recipe will be a family favourite in your house too.
Who doesn't love regular meatballs served with red sauce and pasta? These delicious Middle Eastern kofta meatballs are a tasty twist inspired by our popular Lamb kofta wraps.
Why you'll love these Middle Eastern meatballs
- Easy to make - This easy recipe only has a few simple steps to follow and can be simplified further by purchasing the tabbouleh ready-made. Making it a great dish for those busy nights!
- Great for meal prep - These Middle Eastern meatballs are perfect for meal prep, so many elements can be prepped or cooked ahead of time. See our meal prep section below for more information.
- Family friendly - I don't know about you but we just find that ground meat shaped in balls or served on sticks is always popular with the kids. Pair that with hummus and warm bread and you have an easy kid-friendly dinner that will have them tucking right in. Try switching the traditional tabbouleh in this recipe for our kid-friendly couscous tabbouleh salad. See our ideas for making this dish even more kid-friendly in the variations section below.
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Ingredients and substitutions
For the meatballs:
- Ground lamb mince - You can substitute the lamb for ground beef or pork.
- Egg yolk
- Breadcrumbs - we prefer panko but you can use standard breadcrumbs too.
- Garlic - cloves
- And a little cooking oil for pan-frying.
Middle Eastern meatball seasoning:
- Ground cumin
- Ground coriander
- Allspice
- Ground cinnamon
- Chilli flakes
- Salt and pepper to season.
Tabbouleh - can be made fresh or purchased in-store:
- Garlic clove
- Ground coriander
- Juice of one lemon
- Olive oil
- Bulgur wheat
- Fresh parsley
- Spring onions - Scallions
- Red onion
- Fresh tomatoes
- Cucumber
- Fresh mint
- Salt and pepper
To plate and serve:
- Hummus
- Feta
- Pinenuts (optional)
- Flatbread - to serve (optional)
- Olive oil - to drizzle over the finished dish.
See the recipe card below for quantities.
Step by step instructions
This delicious Middle Eastern meatball recipe really is simple with only a few steps to follow it is perfect for a quick weeknight dinner.
1. Prepare the meatballs
- Place all the meatball ingredients into a large bowl and mix well.
- Form the meatballs (around 30g each) then into the fridge for at least 20 mins or until ready to bake.
2. Bake the meatballs
- Preheat your oven to 180 °C (356 °F)
- Heat a large oven-proof pan with a little cooking oil until hot. Add the meatballs and brown on each side.
- Then place the pan directly into the oven for 5 minutes or until cooked. Remove and let rest.
Cooking tip: The internal temperature of cooked meatballs should reach at least 71 °C (160 °F) using an instant-read food thermometer (according to the USDA).
3. Homemade tabbouleh
- Boil one cup of water in a small pan. Once boiling add the bulgur wheat, cover and remove from the heat.
- Let sit for 30 minutes until soft then strain off the liquid.
- Prepare the remaining tabbouleh ingredients.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the garlic, ground coriander, lemon juice and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
- Add to the bowl the cooked bulgur wheat, chopped parsley, spring onion, diced red onion, tomato, cucumber and mint leaves. Mix well and let sit for at least 20 minutes (or for as long as you can to really develop the flavour, ideally overnight).
4. Plate and serve.
To plate this elegant meatball dish, start with a smear of hummus onto your serving platter and pile the tabbouleh in the centre. Place the meatballs on the hummus, crumble over the feta and sprinkle over the pine nuts (if using). Drizzle a little olive oil over the dish, serve with warmed flatbreads and enjoy!
Meal prep
This Middle Eastern meatball recipe is perfect for meal prep.
- Prep ahead - The meatballs can be prepped the night before and stored in an air-tight container in the fridge overnight. Then pan fry and bake as per our recipe instructions.
- Bake ahead - Baked meatballs can be stored in the the fridge for up to 3-4 days, if stored correctly in an air-tight container. Then all you have to do for dinner is reheat and plate with the other elements of the dish, making this a super quick and easy dinner! (See our storage section below for reheating advice).
- Make the Tabbouleh the day before - Not only will this save you time but will also increase the flavour. We personally believe tabbouleh is one of those dishes best served the day after. Store in the fridge in a sealed container and it will last for 3-4 days, any leftovers are delicious for lunch too!
Related dinner recipe
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Variations
Ground Meat - For a different variation on this recipe try switching the meat for ground beef, pork or even chicken.
Tabbouleh - Tabbouleh is traditionally made with bulgur wheat which can be hard to find. But it can be substituted with couscous in this recipe which can help make it more appealing to kids too.
Side dishes - We love how versatile this recipe is, make it your own by serving it with your favourite green salad or couscous dish. Or try serving with some soft flatbread to create delicious kofta meatball wraps!
Storage
Store - Baked meatballs can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. They can be frozen in an airtight container (ideally vacuum-sealed) in the freezer for up to 3 months, thaw out in the fridge overnight before reheating.
Reheat - The best way to reheat these meatballs is in the oven. Preheat your oven to 180 °C (356 °F). Place the meatballs on a baking tray and cover with tin foil to prevent them from drying out. Place in the preheated oven and reheat for 10-15 minutes or until the meatballs reach an internal temperature of at least 74 °C (165 °F) using a food thermometer (based on safe reheating guidelines from the USDA).
Chef tips
For deliciously, juicy meatballs make sure to get your pan hot before panfrying. Then take time to brown them nicely on each side before placing them in the oven to bake.
A delicious twist on a classic these Middle Eastern meatballs are a great family dinner, perfect for a busy weeknight. Time to try this recipe!
Did you try the dish? Please leave a rating and review below. And if you have any questions about the recipe, feel free to ask us in the comment section below.
Happy cooking!
Recipe
Middle Eastern Meatballs
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 500 g Ground lamb mince
- 1 Egg yolk
- ¼ cup Bread crumbs
- 4 cloves Garlic grated/minced
- 1 teaspoon Ground cumin
- 2 teaspoon Ground coriander
- A pinch Allspice
- ¼ teaspoon Cinnamon
- ½ Chilli flakes
- Salt and pepper To season
To pan fry
- A little cooking oil
Tabbouleh (Make at home or buy in store)
- 1 clove Garlic grated
- ¼ teaspoon Ground coriander
- 1 Lemon juice only
- ¼ c Olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
- ½ c Bulgur wheat
- 1 bunch Parsley finely chopped
- 2 stalks Spring onions / scallions finely chopped
- ½ Red onion diced
- 2 Tomatoes diced
- ½ Cucumber diced
- ½ cup Mint leaves finely chopped
To serve
- 1 cup Hummus
- 60 g Feta
- Pinenuts (optional)
- Flatbread To serve (optional)
- A drizzle of olive oil
Instructions
Make the meatballs
- Place all the meatball ingredients into a bowl and mix well.500 g Ground lamb mince, 1 teaspoon Ground cumin, 2 teaspoon Ground coriander, A pinch Allspice, ¼ teaspoon Cinnamon, ½ Chilli flakes, 1 Egg yolk, ¼ cup Bread crumbs, 4 cloves Garlic, Salt and pepper
- Form into meatballs (approx 30g each) then place into the fridge for at least 20 minutes or until ready to bake.
Bake the meatballs
- Preheat oven to
180 °C (356 °F) - Heat a large oven-proof fry pan with a little canola oil until hot. Add the meatballs and brown on each side.
- Place the pan into the preheated oven for 5 minutes or until cooked, remove and allow to rest. The internal temperature of cooked meatballs should reach at least 71 °C (160 °F) (according to the USDA). See note 1
Tabbouleh
- In a small pan bring 1 cup of water to a boil. Once boiling add the bulgur wheat, cover and remove from the heat.½ c Bulgur wheat
- Allow the bulgur wheat to sit in the water for 30 minutes until soft. Then strain off the liquid.
- Meanwhile, prep the remaining tabbouleh ingredients.
- Add the garlic, ground coriander, lemon juice and olive oil into a large bowl and whisk together. Season with salt and pepper.1 clove Garlic, ¼ teaspoon Ground coriander, 1 Lemon, ¼ c Olive oil, Salt and pepper to taste
- Add the cooked bulgur wheat, chopped parsley, spring onion, diced red onion, tomato, cucumber and mint leaves to the bowl. Mix and combine well.1 bunch Parsley, 2 stalks Spring onions / scallions, ½ Red onion, 2 Tomatoes, ½ Cucumber, ½ cup Mint leaves
- Let sit for at least 20 minutes or as long as possible (or overnight to really develop flavour).
To Plate
- Smear a generous amount of hummus onto your platter, and pile the tabbouleh into the centre. Place the meatballs on the hummus, crumble over the feta and sprinkle with pinenuts. Drizzle over a little olive oil, serve with warmed flatbreads and enjoy.1 cup Hummus, 60 g Feta, Pinenuts, Flatbread
