There’s some serious meatball and veggie goodness going on in this Moroccan Meatball and Vegetable Ragout!
It’s the “Big Game” weekend. Obviously, our Green Bay Packers tanked in the playoffs, so we’re pretty much meh about the whole thing. Hubby and I will just relax and watch the game by ourselves. The older you get the more you appreciate and savor quiet evenings. We’re old fogeys and proud of it! If you’re Super Bowlin’ it, have fun and be safe!
There’s nothing old fogey about this Moroccan-inspired dish! Tender spiced meatballs along with onions, bell peppers and eggplant are blanketed in a zesty tomato-based sauce. Sure to spice up your night!
Rather than cooking the eggplant in the sauce, I like to roast it separately as eggplant is a sponge when it comes to oil and it can also take a while to cook. When using small eggplant, I generally don’t salt and drain it as it hasn’t had time to develop much bitterness. (Eggplant should have a slight pleasant bitterness.) However, here I used a large one, so felt the dish would benefit from salting and draining the eggplant.
Keep in mind when salting and seasoning the remainder of the dish the eggplant had salt on it, so you may not want to add a whole lot more. The meatballs need the salt, otherwise, they don’t stand up to the assertive flavors of the sauce.
When making meatballs, get all the ingredients except the ground meat mixed together first. This ensures all the ingredients–especially the seasonings–are evenly distributed. When I mix up any ground meat dish, I wear disposable gloves and mix with my hands to get the job done faster and more thoroughly.
The best way I have found to portion and form meatballs is with a cookie dough scoop. I have several sizes and for these, I use my 1 1/2-inch scoop. Grab a handful of the meat mixture in one hand and the scoop in the other. Use the heel of the hand holding the meat mixture to level off the scoop. Empty the scoop on a baking sheet. After portioning the meat mixture, press the cheese into the center and roll into neat balls.
If you don’t have a large cookie dough scoop, press the meat into a rectangle shape on wax paper on your counter, cut into 24 even squares, stuff, then roll into neat balls.
Serve with couscous or quinoa spiked with a little curry powder. A dollop of yogurt wouldn’t be bad either!
Serves 4
This Moroccan Meatball and Vegetable Ragout is full of meatball and vegetable goodness, blanketed in a spicy tomato sauce!
30 minPrep Time
40 minCook Time
1 hr, 10 Total Time
Save RecipeINGREDIENTS
SAUCE
1 large eggplant, cubed
1 tablespoon salt plus more for sauce
1/4 cup olive oil, divided
1 large onion, chopped
1 large yellow or orange bell pepper, chopped
1 large green bell pepper, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons Hungarian paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 can (14.5-ounce) beef broth
1 can (15-ounce) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (8-ounce) tomato sauce
Freshly ground black pepper
MEATBALLS
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon Hungarian paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup panko
1 large egg
2 tablespoons water, broth or milk
1/2 cup chopped cilantro, divided
1 pound ground chuck
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
Cooked couscous or quinoa
Yogurt
INSTRUCTIONS
SAUCE
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place eggplant in a colander. Sprinkle with salt and let drain 30 minutes. Pat dry with paper towels. Toss eggplant with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Spread out onto a non-stick baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes or until tender. Keep oven set at 375 degrees.
While eggplant is roasting, heat remaining olive oil in a large skillet or saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion, reduce heat to medium-low and cook 5 to 6 minutes or until beginning to soften. Transfer half the onion to a bowl and let cool.
Add the bell pepper to the skillet on the stovetop and continue cooking another 5 minutes or until beginning to soften.
Stir in garlic, paprika, cumin, coriander and cayenne and cook briefly (15 seconds).
Add beef broth, tomatoes and tomato sauce. Bring to a simmer and cook 15 minutes or until thickened. Add roasted eggplant, season to taste with salt and black pepper and keep warm.
MEATBALLS:
In the bowl with the reserved onions, combine garlic, paprika, cumin, coriander, salt, black pepper, panko, egg, water (or broth or milk) and half the cilantro. Mix well then add beef.
Form mixture into 1 to 1 1/2-inch balls. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes or until 165 degrees in the center.
TO FINISH:
Transfer meatballs to sauce and adjust seasoning as desired. Sprinkle with remaining fresh cilantro and serve.
MAKE AHEAD: Can be made up to 2 days ahead. Place in a large baking dish and reheat in the oven at 350 degrees until bubbling. May also be reheated in a slow-cooker. FREEZER-FRIENDLY: Cool thoroughly. Freeze in small portions. Thaw in the refrigerator. Reheat in the oven at 350 degrees.
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