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These spiced meatballs are loaded with flavour and taste delicious stuffed into pita pockets or dipped into a minty yogurt sauce.
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Reasons to Love This Recipe
- Family Friendly: These meatballs are perfect for all ages and are great for introducing flavour when doing baby-led weaning (Adding spices and herbs to baby food can help cultivate an adventurous eater.)
- Freezer Friendly: Double the batch and freeze for another night.
- Lovely hot or cold: Eat them warm stuffed into pitas or enjoy them cold in salads.
Ingredient Information (with Substitute Suggestions)
- Lamb Mince: Lamb works best but you can sub with beef or chicken.
- Milk & Bread: These two ingredients are mixed together to help bind and keep the balls tender. If you have a dairy intolerance you can use dairy-free milk.
- Egg: The egg helps to bind the meatballs together. If you or your kids have an egg intolerance then you can miss it out as the breadcrumb/milk mixture also helps bind. I've tested without egg and the meatballs still taste great, hold together and have a good texture.
- Spices & Herbs: Added for flavour, you should be able to pick them all up from your local supermarket.
- Spinach: Added for extra nutrition, can be skipped.
Process Shots and Cooking Tips
- SOAK: Add the milk to the breadcrumbs and allow to sit. This helps make the meatballs nice and tender.
- MIX: Place all the ingredients (except oil) into a bowl and mix with your hands or a wooden spoon.
- ROLL: Measure out 1 heaped tablespoon of the mixture and roll into a ball, repeat until the mixture is used up (should make around 21 meatballs). Place the balls onto a rack set over a tray. This helps keeps the balls round and allows the meatballs to brown on the underside too.
- COOK: Spray with oil then bake for 20 mins, the internal temperature should be at least 71C/160F.
Serving Suggestions
These spiced meatballs pair well with fresh and zesty flavours. I strongly suggest you make mint yogurt sauce to serve with it. Try serving...
- Stuffed into pita bread with salad and mint yogurt sauce.
- Skewered onto sticks (kids love food on a stick!)and served with cut veggies and mint yogurt sauce.
- Cold meatballs with salad and mint yogurt sauce as a dressing
- Mixed through orange rice
Storage and Re-heating Instructions
Refrigerate - Store in an airtight container for up to two days.
Freeze: Allow meatballs to cook and freeze on a tray until hard. Transfer to a freezer friendly zip lock bag / container for up to 2 months. Thaw meatballs, overnight, in the refrigerator.
Reheat: Reheat the meatballs in the oven at 175°C /350°F. Place the meatballs in a single layer on a baking sheet or in a baking dish, then cover them with foil to prevent drying. Heat until they reach an internal temp of 71C/160F.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, these are a delicious finger food for babies and introduces them to a lot of flavours. Skip the salt but keep the spices. These meatballs do contain common allergens (dairy, gluten and egg), these allergens should be introduced separately before serving the balls.
I always freeze them cooked but you can freeze them raw or cooked. Place them on a baking sheet and pop in the freezer. Once the meatballs are frozen transfer them to freezer-safe bags or containers.
Yes, if you prefer to cook on the stovetop then you can. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add half the meatballs and cook for around 8 minutes, or until cooked through. Keep turning the balls to make sure they are browned all over. Transfer to a plate, then cook the remaining meatballs.
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Spiced Meatballs
Ingredients
- 30g (½ cup) - fresh breadcrumbs
- 1 ½ tablespoons milk
- 500g (1lb) minced lamb (ground lamb)
- 1 egg
- 1 garlic clove ,minced
- 1 teaspoon ginger ,minced
- 2 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 cup (35g) spinach leaves ,finely chopped after measuring
- 2 tablespoons coriander (cilantro), leaves and stems ,finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon salt *
- ½ tablespoon oil ,for cooking
Instructions
- Pre heat oven to 200c / 390f
- Soak the breadcrumbs in milk and set aside
- Place all ingredients (apart from the oil), in a large mixing bowl. Mix with your hand or wooden spoon until fully mixed together.
- Measure out 1 heaped tablespoon of the mixture and roll into a ball, repeat until the mixture in used up. (should make around 21 meatballs) Place the balls onto a rack set over a tray. This helps keeps the balls round and allows the meatballs to brown on the underside too. Spray with oil then bake for 20 mins
- Place the balls onto a rack set over a tray. This helps keeps the balls round and allows the meatballs to brown on the underside too. Spray (or brush) with oil and bake for 20 mins.
- Serve with a mint yogurt dip
Video
Recipe Notes
Nutritional facts
This recipe was originally published in Feb 2014, the post has been updated to include extra information, process shots and a video. The recipe has also been tweaked slightly, if you would like the original recipe please email me and I can send a copy.
Alice
Instead of oven reheat can it be microwave reheat??
Fifa
Tweak a little bit. I’m using minced beef & substitute breadcrumbs to rolled oats. Instead making a ball, I’m using ice cream stick to skewer the meat before grilling it. Try this & my 11 months baby enjoying it. Definitely gonna repeat this recipe!
Nat C
Hi! can I used panko breadcrumbs for these? Thanks!!!
Amy
Hi Nat, yes you can 🙂
Nat
Can I please replace coriander powder with oregano and use all spice instead of Garam masala?
Amy
Hi Nat, you can but the flavour will be very different 🙂
Priya Chakravarty
Hello Amy,
Can I use minced chicken to make these meatballs. I am living in japan and we do it get lamb here .
Amy
Hi Priya, I haven't tried this recipe with chicken mince but I'm sure they would work 🙂
Claire
Delicious
Amy
Thank you!
Nat Pie
Hi Amy, is there a gluten free alternative for the breadcrumbs?
Amy
Hi Nat, I haven't tried in this recipe but you could try almond meal. Alternatively, if you have gluten-free bread in your house you could make some breadcrumbs with that?
Alicia
Baby girl loved this recipe. Had to get them into the freezer stash before the husband ate them all!
Amy
Excellent! Love that they are baby and hubby approved!!
Michelle
These look so yummy! Should the breadcrumbs be fresh or dry? Going to give them a go this weekend
Amy
Hi Michelle, Thank you, you can use either. Enjoy 🙂
Cody
These look great. I plan to make them this week for mister 7 months old. How would I go about freezing them and then preparing (defrost to cook or reheat?) them for meal? Also do they last in the freezer long? Thank you so much x
Amy
Hi Cody, you can freeze raw or cooked. Put them on a baking tray to freeze and then once frozen you can transfer them to a zip lock bag and take out as many as needed. If freezing from raw you can thaw and cook as normal. If freezing cooked then you can thaw and reheat in the oven (cover with foil to prevent drying out)
Amanda
I made these for my 8month old and he loved them. My mother in law was horrified that I was feeding him “spicy” food. She wants me to feed purées from a jar, just like her daughter did.
I did come to say we loved these but have turned it into a rant, sorry. I just needed to vent........ I’m trying the quinoa balls next.
Amy
Rant away, I get it! Always remember you are the Mum! So happy your little boy liked them, I hope he enjoys plenty more of the recipes!
Emma
Excited to try these totally forgot to put the spinach in, figure they'll still taste great. Planning on freezing any the other half doesn't eat.
Amy
HI Emma, I've made them loads without the spinach - I just add the spinach for extra goodness! Hope you liked them ??