Moroccan Meatball Casserole with Eggs
Spiced beef meatballs braised in a concentrated tomato sauce with honey, finished with baked eggs. A North African one-pot dish combining aromatic cumin and paprika with fresh herbs, served with flatbread.
Ingredients
- 1 lb minced beef
- 2 tablespoon flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon hot paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoon vegetable oil or mild olive oil, divided
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 2 400g can chopped tomatoes, including juice
- 2 clove garlic, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoon runny honeyhoney1:1
4
- 1 teaspoon hot paprika
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- salt, to taste(optional)
- 4 whole eggs, free range
- salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- fresh coriander leaves, coarsely chopped
Instructions
- 1
Preheat oven to 400°F.
- 2
Combine minced beef, parsley, cumin, paprika, salt, and black pepper in a bowl and mix with hands until well combined.
- 3
Dampen hands and form mixture into about 28 balls of 1.0" diameter.
- 4
Heat two tablespoons oil in a tagine or large frying pan and brown meatballs briefly on all sides.
- 5
Remove meatballs with slotted spoon to a plate.
- 6
Add remaining tablespoon of oil to large frying pan, add onions, and cook gently for ten minutes until soft and beginning to color.
- 7
Add garlic and cook for one minute without burning.
- 8
Add remaining sauce ingredients, transfer to flameproof casserole, cover, and simmer gently for 15 to 20 minutes until concentrated and well flavored.
- 9
Taste sauce and season with additional salt, paprika, or cumin as needed.
- 10
Add meatballs to sauce, stir over low heat without lid to heat through.
- 11
Make four slight dips in mixture and break one egg into each dip.
- 12
Bake uncovered for 15 minutes or until eggs are just set.
- 13
Scatter with chopped coriander and serve with warm flatbread.
Tips
Do not add extra salt to initial beef mixture; the recipe warns against over-salting.
Dampen hands when forming meatballs to prevent sticking.
Brown meatballs briefly rather than cooking through; they finish in the sauce.
Cook garlic only one minute to avoid bitterness.
Simmer sauce 15 to 20 minutes to concentrate flavors without drying out.
Taste and adjust seasonings before adding meatballs back.
Use low heat when reheating meatballs in sauce to avoid breaking them apart.
Good to Know
Cover and refrigerate up to 3 days. Reheat gently in oven at 160C. Do not freeze eggs once baked.
Prepare meatballs and sauce up to one day ahead. Bake eggs just before serving.
Serve with warm flatbread and a simple green salad or yogurt.
Common Mistakes
Do not over-salt the beef mixture to avoid an overly salty dish.
Do not burn garlic; cook only one minute.
Do not skip browning meatballs; this develops flavor.
Do not bake eggs longer than 15 minutes to avoid hard-cooked yolks.
Do not cover the casserole when reheating meatballs or the eggs may overcook.
Substitutions
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3