When it comes to making dinner, I love making a build-a-bowl feast. These Harissa Lamb Meatball Bowls are so easy to make and packed with delicious flavor. It will be a warm welcome to your dinner rotation!
Because my kids love meatballs, it’s always fun to introduce new flavors to them in the form of a meatball. Here, I’ve used lamb meat that is infused with curry powder and harissa. I love this combination and these meatballs might feel intimidating to a new palate, but I can assure you they are total crowd pleasers. These flavors shine just enough as to not overwhelm the palate and pair beautifully with the other elements in this bowl.
While these delicious meatballs are baking off in the oven, a quick cucumber salad and tahini sauce is made. Both are very simple to make and quick enough to make within the 15 minutes that the meatballs are baking.
It all comes together over a bed of brown rice, but quinoa would be lovely here, also! My kids aren’t the biggest fans of quinoa, so brown or white rice is typically what we gravitate to when it comes to a bowl night. The crisp and bright cucumber salad pairs beautifully with the warmly spiced lamb meatballs and the creamy/tangy tahini sauce. I load mine up with fresh dill, but cilantro works great here, too!
The end result was a definite crowd pleaser on my family table and I hope it is for yours, too! If you love this recipe try a few others that have similar flavors:
Sheet Pan Harissa Chicken + Veggies with Lemon Aioli
Harissa Lamb Meatball Bowls

Ingredients
For the Meatballs:
- 1 lb ground lamb or beef
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons harissa sauce I use Mina mild
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 4 tablespoons tapioca flour
For the Cucumber Salad:
- 2 cups quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced cucumber or 1 cucumber
- 1 cup quartered cherry tomatoes
- ½ cup halved and thinly sliced red onion
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
For the Tahini Sauce:
- 2 tablespoons tahini (see note)
- 2 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon minced cilantro
- Pinch of salt
For Serving:
- 2 cups cooked brown rice
- Fresh Dill
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F and drizzle a small baking sheet with olive oil to lightly coat the bottom.
- In a medium bowl, combine all of the meatball ingredients and using clean hands, mix to combine. Roll into 1-inch balls and place on the prepared baking sheet. Damp hands help if the meatballs are difficult to roll.
- Place the meatballs in the preheated oven and bake until golden brown and cooked through, about 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, In a medium bowl, combine all of the cucumber salad ingredients and toss until well combed. Set Aside.
- In a small bowl, combine all of the tahini drizzle ingredients and stir until well combined. Add warm water until the consistency is still thick but all a little bit drizzle-able (you'll need anywhere from 2-4 tablespoons depending on how thick your tahini is). Set Aside.
- To serve, divide the brown rice amongst 4 bowls. Add the meatballs, the cucumber salad, a dollop of the tahini sauce, a dollop more of harissa (if desired), and garnish with fresh dill. Enjoy!
25 Comments
Ola
April 29, 2023 at 8:47 pmMade these a few times and loved! Did it once with turkey and turned out great as well.
Can you make these the day before formed and put in the fridge and bake off next day? Thank you.
Alex
May 2, 2023 at 12:34 amAbsolutely!! Thank you!
Catherine
March 1, 2023 at 7:01 pmFabulous dish! Easy to make and great for leftovers!!
Sarah
March 1, 2023 at 1:25 amAnother hit from Defined Dish ! I used bison and breadcrumbs since I had that on hand and it was delicious. Adding to my weekly meal rotation!
Riley
February 28, 2023 at 4:34 pmAMAZING recipe! This is one of my favorite recipes and SO easy, I am always hesitant with meatballs thinking it will take so long but these were so easy and delicious!
Alex
February 28, 2023 at 8:55 pmGlad you love it!
Rachel
February 25, 2023 at 7:50 pmThis was a huge and dare I say it, shocking!, win for me. I’m a terrible meatball-maker, and these were amazing. And my children (5 & 3), who generally struggle to eat meat of any type, both ate the meatballs without any encouragement. That is RARE. Thank you for another amazing recipe.
Alex
February 26, 2023 at 12:09 amSuch a win! Glad to hear it
Kelly
February 23, 2023 at 2:22 amThis was amazing, I will definitely make again as we have a lot go ground lamb from our sheep.
Traci
April 9, 2023 at 5:54 pmThis was my first time making lamb! We all loved it! It will be a repeat recipe in house, for sure!
Janine Carpenter
February 22, 2023 at 9:34 pmHi Alex! Every week I cook at least 2 new recipes using your cookbooks and blog. My husband and I love so many of them, and a few are staples that remain in our rotation, but this recipe might be our favorite one yet! I made these bowls on Monday and we devoured them! They also made great leftovers for the next night’s dinner. I used beef, but I’m sure lamb is delicious, too. It was easy to make and so flavorful. I can’t wait to make this for some of our friends and it will definitely be a staple in our home. Thank you for helping me cook such wonderful meals for our family every week!
Alex
February 28, 2023 at 8:59 pmAw yay!!! I am so happy you loved this one! Thank you!
Amber E.
March 20, 2023 at 11:52 pmThis meatball recipe is AMAZING!!! I literally never comment on blog post but I felt like the world needed to know lol this was a hit with my 18 month old and picky husband and a great meal prep protein. Just added more ground lamb to my Whole Foods order to make it again. Thanks Alex!
Alex
March 22, 2023 at 5:16 pmThank you so much!! So glad this was a hit!
Fraunces
February 21, 2023 at 2:38 pmSO amazing and so easy. Tons of flavor and a crowd pleaser. Served with tzatziki instead of the tahini sauce. Loved and definitely in the rotation!!
Alex
February 21, 2023 at 4:38 pmThat’s a great swap, glad you enjoyed it!
Sarah
February 21, 2023 at 9:22 amCan you use regular flour instead of tapioca?
Alex
February 21, 2023 at 2:03 pmI’d opt for regular breadcrumbs or Panko breadcrumbs in place of tapioca here!
Nancy Rich
February 20, 2023 at 7:39 pmMy husband does not care for curry; I’m wondering what you would suggest as a good substitute?
Thanks
Alex
February 20, 2023 at 10:59 pmIT will still be great without the curry addition– its subtle in this recipe.
Annie Martin
February 20, 2023 at 1:20 amI made this recipe tonight for my Grandmother and we loved it. I had to order the harissa sauce on Amazon but it came the next day. I’ll definitely be making these again! They were so easy to make and flavorful.
Alex
February 20, 2023 at 7:03 pmSo happy you LOVE it!
Kelsey
February 18, 2023 at 1:52 pmThis was so yummy and easy! I loved the harissa in the meatballs.
Scott Flanary
February 15, 2023 at 9:43 pmHi! Is there a way to use harissa spice in lieu of the sauce? Any tips there? Thank you!
Alex
February 16, 2023 at 11:54 amI am sure you can, I am not sure how strong the flavor is, I always use the sauce or paste when I use Harissa. I think if you add 2 teaspoons it will hopefully add some flavor, just make sure it’s not too spicy.