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These Lamb Meatball Appetizers come together in a flash and are made with moroccan-inspired spices for plenty of flavor! Pair them with a 2-minute Herb Yogurt Dip and serve up this festive platter for Christmas, New Year’s, or any holiday that requires a crowd-pleasing appetizer.
Thanks to our friends at the American Lamb Board for sponsoring this post! All opinions are my own.
These meatball appetizers are such a breeze to whip up! Let’s walk through how to make them.
How to make lamb meatballs:
Start by adding your ground lamb, breadcrumbs, moroccan-inspired spices, eggs, and olive oil to a large bowl. The spices we’re using are cumin, coriander, cinnamon, allspice, paprika, salt, and pepper. You can also use cayenne pepper in place of the paprika if you want a bit of a kick to your meatballs! And, be sure to buy locally produced lamb for this recipe – it’ll have the best flavor and freshness, and you’ll support your local farmers and producers at the same time!
Stir everything together, using clean hands to help it along, until you have a cohesive mixture. It should be moist but not overly sticky.
Roll the mixture into balls that are about two-bites worth in size. I ended up with about 38 meatballs. Line a baking sheet with foil for easy clean-up, then place any oven safe rack (I used a cookie cooling rack) over that, and spray with nonstick spray. Place the meatballs on the rack, and bake until an internal temperature of 160 to 170 degrees F is reached. The lamb is considered medium at 160 degrees, and well done at 170 degrees.
Be sure to check your meatballs with a meat thermometer for the correct temperature – it makes everything so much easier and takes out any guesswork!
Herb Yogurt Dip:
Serve the meatballs with a 2-minute Herby Yogurt Dip (whip it up while the meatballs bake!). To make this, simply stir together yogurt, olive oil, salt, pepper, and some finely chopped fresh parsley. You could also use mint if that’s your preference!
Place your meatballs on skewers, and dip away!
This really is the easiest recipe to pull off for holiday entertaining – I hope you enjoy it and have a wonderful holiday season!
For help sourcing locally-produced lamb, visit American Lamb’s website and use their “where to buy” page – linked here.
Did you make this recipe? Snap a photo and leave a comment below!
Be sure to follow bluebowlrecipes on instagram and tag @bluebowlrecipes with your photo – I’d love to see what you make! And, be sure to leave a comment + rating below if you make this recipe.
Moroccan Lamb Meatball Appetizers
Ingredients
For the Meatballs
- 1 and 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp coriander
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp allspice
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 2 lbs ground American lamb
- 2 large eggs
- 2/3 cup breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup olive oil
Herb Yogurt Dip
- 2 cups plain yogurt
- Drizzle of olive oil
- Pinch of salt
- Pinch of pepper
- Handful of fresh parsley, finely chopped
Instructions
- Prep: Line two baking sheets with foil, and place an oven-safe rack (like a cookie cooling rack) on each. Spray lightly with nonstick spray and set aside. Preheat your oven to 400° F.
- Make the Meatballs: Stir together all the spices in a small bowl. Add all meatball ingredients to a large bowl, with the spice mix, and combine everything with a spoon or clean hands until combined, avoiding over-mixing. Roll the mixture into small, two-bite size meatballs, about 2 tablespoons in size. Place in rows on the prepared pans.
- Bake: Bake meatballs for 13-18 minutes, until an internal temp of 160° F is reached (for medium done meatballs) or 170° F (for well done meatballs).
- Make Yogurt Dip: Stir together all dip ingredients, tasting and adjusting the seasonings as desired.
- Serve + Store: Serve the meatballs warm from the oven on wooden skewers, alongside the dip. Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
