Lamb meatballs

Serves:

Ingredients

• 500g lamb mince
• 1 small onion, grated
• 1 cup carrot, grated
• ½ teaspoon cumin, ground
• 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon ground pepper (approx)
• 2 tablespoons fresh mint, shredded, or 1 teaspoon dried
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2x 400g tin whole tomatoes, strained and chopped
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon salt

Method

To make the meatballs:

Preheat oven to 180°C.

Add the first 6 ingredients together in a large bowl.

Mix with your hands to combine and proceed to roll into tablespoon size balls.

Spray an oven tray with cooking spray and carefully place meatballs in the tray without touching it.

Place in the oven for 15 minutes then transfer to tomato sauce

For sauce:

In a medium to large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat.

Add onions and sauté for 1-2 minutes, followed by garlic.

After 2-3 minutes, add tomato paste, stir to combine and cook for 3-4 minutes. Once the tomato paste starts sticking to the bottom of pot, add diced tomatoes, oregano, salt and pepper.

Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes with the lid on.

When meatballs are ready to come out of the oven, add them to the sauce, along with the excess meat juices. Cook for a further 15-20 minutes on a medium-low heat, stirring occasionally with the lid off.

Serve in rolls, with polenta, rice, pasta etc

Notes

• My 7 year old was so excited to make these, while he grated and smooshed the meatball ingredients, I put the sauce on to cook.
• When cooking with kids, it’s great for them to see you using herbs and spices. While you are only using a little, the older kids understand their food tastes are more exciting and the fact that they’re helping prepare the dish goes a long way when you’re sitting at the dinner table.
• I serve these with polenta for dinner or in wraps smothered in tzatziki for a delicious lunch.
• Adding the juice from the meatballs gives your sauce a much richer flavour.
• Recipe created by Camilla Baker for Kidspot, New Zealand’s best recipe finder.

Serving Suggestions

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