Comforting Mini Meatball Stew
Mini Meatball Stew is the epitome of comforting! Tender, seasoned meatballs in a velvety tomato-based sauce. Serve with a bowlful of vermicelli rice!
Servings: 5
Calories: 279kcal
Ingredients
Meatballs:
- 1 lb. lean ground beef or lamb 93-95%
- 1 medium onion grated
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon seven spice
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon ground saffron optional
Sauce:
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 yellow onion chopped
- 1 teaspoon seven spice
- ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- ½-1 cup chicken or beef broth see notes
- 1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
Saute:
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ⅓ cup chopped cilantro
- 10 cloves garlic minced
Instructions
- SQUEEZE: out the water from the grated onions by adding it to a cheesecloth and wringing out the liquid. Add the onions to a medium bowl along with the beef, tomato paste, turmeric, seven spice, salt, pepper and saffron.
- ROLL: Mix with a spoon or your hands until *just* combined. Scoop 1 teaspoon of the mixture and roll between your palms to form a ball. Place on a plate or baking sheet. Continue rolling the remaining meatballs.
- SEAR: Heat a medium dutch oven or saute pan over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of oil to the pan. When the oil starts to shimmer, add a single layer of the meatballs to the pan and cook for 2 minutes, flipping to cook evenly on all sides. Remove to a plate; don’t worry if the meatballs aren’t done, we will finish cooking them in the sauce. Add more oil as needed and sear the remaining meatballs.
- SAUTE: With about 2 tablespoon of oil in the pan add the chopped onions and saute them for 5-7 minutes or until they soften. Season with the turmeric, seven spice, coriander, and tomato paste. Cook for 30-60 seconds or until the tomato paste starts to brown. Then add the beef broth and tomato sauce to the pan. Bring the pot to simmer, then add the browned meatballs.
- SIMMER: allow the broth to come back to a simmer, then cover and let cook on medium-low heat until the meatballs cook through and the sauce reduces a little, about 20-25 minutes.
- SAUTE: Heat the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Once melted, add the garlic and sauté it for 40-50 seconds, then add the cilantro and stir to combine.
- FINISH: Add the garlic and cilantro mixture to the meatballs and stir to combine. Taste and adjust with kosher salt and black pepper as needed. Serve with vermicelli rice.
Notes
- Broth: the amount of broth you can use in this recipe varies. I like to use ½ cup but we also don't need a ton of gravy with the Lebanese rice pilaf, you can use 1- 1¼ cup of broth if you like a bit more sauce to go with the meatballs or if you're planning on adding potatoes!
- Potatoes: To add potatoes to this recipe, I recommend using about ½ pound of yukon gold potatoes. Cube the ptoatoes, toss in a little bit or oil and a big spinkle of kosher salt. Air fry them at 350ºF for 30 minutes or until fork tender. Then add them to the stew for the last 10 minutes to simmering before adding the garlic mixture. If you use the potatoes, you definitely need to up the broth as they'll soak up some of the sauce.
Nutrition
Calories: 279kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 18g | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g
