Description
A quick and flavorful Moroccan-inspired recipe featuring tender meatballs simmered in a fragrant tomato sauce with apricots, cinnamon, and garnished with toasted almonds and fresh coriander. Perfect for a comforting and exotic weeknight dinner.
Ingredients
Scale
Meatballs and Sauce
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 350g pack ready-made beef or chicken meatballs (approx 16)
- 1 large onion, sliced
- 100g dried apricots, halved
- 1 small cinnamon stick
- 400g tin chopped tomatoes with garlic
- ½ can water from the tomato tin (approx 200ml)
Garnish
- 25g toasted flaked almonds
- Handful coriander, roughly chopped
Instructions
- Heat the oil and fry the meatballs: Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large deep frying pan over medium heat. Add the ready-made meatballs and cook for about 10 minutes, turning occasionally until they are fully cooked through and browned on all sides. Once cooked, scoop the meatballs out of the pan and set them aside.
- Cook the onion: In the same pan, add the sliced onion and fry for about 5 minutes until softened and translucent, scraping up any browned bits from the meatballs for extra flavor.
- Add apricots, cinnamon, and tomatoes: Stir in the halved dried apricots, small cinnamon stick, the tin of chopped tomatoes with garlic, and half a can of water (approximately 200ml). Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and let it simmer gently for 10 minutes to allow the flavors to meld and the sauce to thicken slightly.
- Remove cinnamon stick and return meatballs: Remove the cinnamon stick from the sauce. Return the cooked meatballs back into the pan, stirring them into the sauce to coat them thoroughly and warm them through for a couple of minutes.
- Garnish and serve: Transfer the meatballs and sauce to a serving dish. Sprinkle toasted flaked almonds and roughly chopped coriander over the top for added texture and freshness. Serve immediately.
Notes
- If you don’t have cinnamon sticks, substitute with a good pinch of ground cinnamon added with the tomatoes.
- For a chicken variation, pan-fry skinless chicken breasts before proceeding with the sauce instructions, then simmer chicken in the sauce for 10 minutes.
- To toast almonds, dry fry them in a pan for a few minutes over medium heat until golden and fragrant.
- This recipe pairs well with couscous, rice, or crusty bread.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Frying
- Cuisine: Moroccan
Keywords: Moroccan meatballs, quick meatball recipe, apricot meatballs, cinnamon meatballs, easy Moroccan dinner
