02.14.23

Harissa Lamb Meatball Bowls

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:

Harissa Harvest Bowl

Sheet Pan Harissa Chicken + Veggies with Lemon Aioli 

Curried Salmon Farro Bowls

 

Harissa Lamb Meatball Bowls

Serves: 4
Print
5 from 10 votes
Total Time25 minutes

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!

Notes

Tahini Note: If your sauce seems too thick, add warm water 1 tablespoon at a time until you get your desired consistency.

25 Comments

  • Reply
    Ola
    April 29, 2023 at 8:47 pm

    5 stars
    Made 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.

    • Reply
      Alex
      May 2, 2023 at 12:34 am

      Absolutely!! Thank you!

  • Reply
    Catherine
    March 1, 2023 at 7:01 pm

    5 stars
    Fabulous dish! Easy to make and great for leftovers!!

  • Reply
    Sarah
    March 1, 2023 at 1:25 am

    5 stars
    Another 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!

  • Reply
    Riley
    February 28, 2023 at 4:34 pm

    5 stars
    AMAZING 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!

    • Reply
      Alex
      February 28, 2023 at 8:55 pm

      Glad you love it!

  • Reply
    Rachel
    February 25, 2023 at 7:50 pm

    This 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.

    • Reply
      Alex
      February 26, 2023 at 12:09 am

      Such a win! Glad to hear it

  • Reply
    Kelly
    February 23, 2023 at 2:22 am

    This was amazing, I will definitely make again as we have a lot go ground lamb from our sheep.

    • Reply
      Traci
      April 9, 2023 at 5:54 pm

      5 stars
      This was my first time making lamb! We all loved it! It will be a repeat recipe in house, for sure!

  • Reply
    Janine Carpenter
    February 22, 2023 at 9:34 pm

    5 stars
    Hi 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!

    • Reply
      Alex
      February 28, 2023 at 8:59 pm

      Aw yay!!! I am so happy you loved this one! Thank you!

    • Reply
      Amber E.
      March 20, 2023 at 11:52 pm

      5 stars
      This 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!

      • Reply
        Alex
        March 22, 2023 at 5:16 pm

        Thank you so much!! So glad this was a hit!

  • Reply
    Fraunces
    February 21, 2023 at 2:38 pm

    5 stars
    SO 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!!

    • Reply
      Alex
      February 21, 2023 at 4:38 pm

      That’s a great swap, glad you enjoyed it!

  • Reply
    Sarah
    February 21, 2023 at 9:22 am

    Can you use regular flour instead of tapioca?

    • Reply
      Alex
      February 21, 2023 at 2:03 pm

      I’d opt for regular breadcrumbs or Panko breadcrumbs in place of tapioca here!

  • Reply
    Nancy Rich
    February 20, 2023 at 7:39 pm

    My husband does not care for curry; I’m wondering what you would suggest as a good substitute?
    Thanks

    • Reply
      Alex
      February 20, 2023 at 10:59 pm

      IT will still be great without the curry addition– its subtle in this recipe.

  • Reply
    Annie Martin
    February 20, 2023 at 1:20 am

    5 stars
    I 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.

    • Reply
      Alex
      February 20, 2023 at 7:03 pm

      So happy you LOVE it!

  • Reply
    Kelsey
    February 18, 2023 at 1:52 pm

    5 stars
    This was so yummy and easy! I loved the harissa in the meatballs.

  • Reply
    Scott Flanary
    February 15, 2023 at 9:43 pm

    Hi! Is there a way to use harissa spice in lieu of the sauce? Any tips there? Thank you!

    • Reply
      Alex
      February 16, 2023 at 11:54 am

      I 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.

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