These lamb meatballs are braised in a harissa sauce to make them juicy and infused with flavor. Everyone loves when I bring these to the dinner table, and they stay in my meal prep rotation for endless remixing of leftovers throughout the week--freezer-friendly, too!
And if you enjoy this recipe, you'll love my slow cooker marinara meatballs, too!
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❤️ Why You'll Love this Recipe
Simple to Make - Don't be intimidated by how good they look. This easy recipe comes together quickly without much active cooking time, and you won't need any fancy tools either.
Layers of Flavor - In this ground beef and lamb meatballs recipe, we're adding flavor at every step, including building an easy yet robust braising liquid so that the meatballs are literally swimming in tastiness!
Using international flavors will make your weeknight dinners magical! Try my slow cooker chicken tagine, sweet potato shepherd's pie, herby french rack of lamb with mint sauce, pan-fried suya lamb chops, lamb smash tacos with greek yogurt sauce, or grilled Moroccan chicken thigh kebabs next.
What You'll Need for this Recipe
Ground Lamb and Ground Beef - I find that this combination makes for the best texture vs using just lamb in the meatballs, and recommend using a lean ground beef (93%) to balance out the fattiness of the lamb.
Pomegranate Juice adds sweetness and fruity flavor for more fullsome flavor, so don't leave it out! If you can't get pomegranate juice, try cranberry or tart cherry juice instead.
Spices like turmeric, cinnamon, smoked paprika, and ginger turn the meatballs into flavor bombs and pair well with pomegranate and harissa to create a flavor profile similar to dishes you'd find in North Africa.
Check out the recipe card below for full ingredients list, measurements, nutrition facts, and step-by-step instructions!
Substitutions & Variations
Harissa - You can use harissa paste or powder interchangeably; however, if you use dry harissa, you'll need to add a couple spoonfuls of oil to the first step to bring everything together.
Tomato - Use crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, or tomato paste, based on what you have available.
Size - Divide the meat into fewer pieces to make jumbo meatballs or more pieces to make mini meatballs. Minis will cook faster, whereas jumbo ones will cook more slowly.
How to Make Easy Lamb Meatballs in Oven
- Step 1: Cook down the onions and harissa until fragrant.
- Step 2: Add broth, juice, and tomato to pot, then bring to a boil.
- Step 3: Mix the spices into the meat then shape them into balls.
- Step 4: Add the meatballs to the braising liquid, then cover and place in the oven to cook.
Pro Tip #1
It's key that all the meatballs are submerged in liquid. Depending on the size of your pot, you may need to wiggle the meatballs in so that they all fit.
- Step 5: Cook until the meatballs reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit, then skim the fat off the surface of the sauce before serving.
Pro Tip #2
Skimming the fat is important as it ensures your meatballs and sauce taste juicy rather than greasy! To do this quickly, you can drop in several ice cubes, which will harden the fat and make it easier to see and scoop out.
Frequently Asked Questions
Store the meatballs with their juices in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Keeps for up to five days.
To freeze, cool the meatballs to room temperature, then space them out on a sheet pan and freeze for a few hours or until solid. Transfer the frozen meatballs into a freezer-safe, airtight container and store in the freezer for up to six months.
No. Although many lamb dishes are served undercooked with pink insides, ground lamb recipes should be fully cooked. These lamb meatballs are ready when their internal temp reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
What to Serve with Lamb Meatballs
In my opinion, the perfect bite includes these lamb kebab meatballs, fluffy yellow rice, and chopped cucumber salad with feta and pistachio for a palate-pleasing combination of flavors and textures. It's giving we got Cava at home!
Make these high-protein meatballs part of your component meal prep routine to mix and match with different vegetables and grains throughout the week for lunches and dinners.
You can roll them up in wraps or even serve them on skewers as appetizers or tapas. Enjoy them with pasta, orzo, couscous, or quinoa. And they pair so well with my melting sweet potatoes, hot honey carrots with hummus, or pan-fried brussels sprouts.
More Favorite Lamb Recipes
Looking for more recipes like this? Try these:
I hope you'll enjoy this harissa lamb meatballs recipe soon and very soon. And sharing is caring, so be sure to pin this recipe for later and follow me over on Pinterest. Thanks for reading!
📖 Recipe
Braised Lamb Meatballs with Harissa
Equipment
- 1 4-quart Dutch oven or oven-safe pot with lid
Ingredients
For the Harissa Sauce
- 2 rounded tablespoons harissa paste
- ½ onion diced
- 1 ½ cup chicken broth or stock
- 1 cup pomegranate juice
- ½ cup crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce
For the Meatballs
- 1 pound ground lamb
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 cup bread crumbs
- 1 egg
- 1 ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¾ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¾ teaspoon white pepper
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- sea salt to taste
Instructions
- Prepare the braising liquid: Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Add the harissa and onion to Dutch oven over medium heat and cook until fragrant and onion starts to soften and turn translucent (about 3 minutes).½ onion, 2 rounded tablespoons harissa paste
- Add chicken broth, pomegranate juice, and tomato sauce to pot, increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil, then reduc hat to low.1 ½ cup chicken broth, 1 cup pomegranate juice, ½ cup crushed tomatoes
- Make the meatballs: Meanwhile, combine ground meat with bread crumbs, egg, turmeric, garlic powder, cinnamon, smoked paprika, cumin, white pepper, ginger, and sea salt until uniform, then form into 20 meatballs about 2 inches in size.1 pound ground lamb, 1 pound lean ground beef, 1 cup bread crumbs, 1 egg, 1 ½ teaspoon ground turmeric, 1 ½ teaspoon garlic powder, 1 ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, ¾ teaspoon ground cumin, ¾ teaspoon white pepper, ½ teaspoon ground ginger, sea salt
- Cook the meatballs: Carefully place meatballs in braising liquid, ensuring they're submerged. Cover pot with lid, then place in oven to cook for 35 minutes or until internal meatball temperature reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Finish and serve: Skim off fat from the surface of the liquid and discard it. Let the sauce thicken for about 15 minutes before serving.
Katrina Adams says
This looks amazing Jazz!!! Perfect quick and healthy dinner!!
Christy Hoover says
Oh Jazz!! This looks so good. I have been having ground lamb in the freezer and just hadn't had a good recipe for it outside of shepherds pie. This is GREAT!! I have all of the ingredients!
Marta says
I love bowls like this because I can make a toppings bar and my family can customize theirs as they like.
Desirée says
Loving all of the different add-ins to this bowl! Looks amazing!
Marrekus says
Really good!!
Krysten says
These power bowls look amazing! The meatball recipe, Yumm! This is just what I need right now! Going to make this on Friday.
xoxo,
Krysten