These Indian Spiced Meatballs are made with lamb mince, spinach and spices. Great for introducing flavour when doing Baby-led Weaning.
My Mum used to make these Indian spiced meatballs when my sister, brother and I were kids. They were one of our favourite meals and we used to ask for them all the time. It was probably because my Mum would serve them with delicious dips, popodums, and lots of cut vegetables. We just thought is was a fun lunch.
I had forgotten all about them until recently, when my sister asked my Mum how to make them. I thought they would be perfect for this blog, so also got the recipe. The original recipe has salt in it, which I think really enhances all the flavours. However, as I am feeding a baby and young child, I omitted it. If you have older kids you may want to add a pinch of salt to the recipe.
I love meatballs and I know they aren’t difficult to make but I often avoid them because I have in my head that they make a lot of mess and are time consuming. However, every time I do prepare them I tell myself that I should make them more as they really are a quick and easy meal. You just have to throw all the ingredients into a food processor, mix and roll into balls. I like to make them in the morning which makes meal time in the evening so much easier (does anyone else have cranky, tired and hungry kids around 4 /5 pm?)
To make the meatballs more appealing to kids I like to skewer them on a sticks. Kids love food on a stick and it can often transform a meal. Adding a dip is another great way to make a meal more kid friendly and these meat balls taste delicious with cucumber and mint raita.
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Indian Spiced Meatballs
Ingredients
- 450g 1 lb minced lamb (ground lamb)
- 30g 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
- 1 1/2 tbsp milk
- 1 onion (white, brown or red), finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp ginger puree
- 2 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 25g 1 cup spinach leaves
- 1 tbsp oil (for frying)
Instructions
- Pre heat oven to 190c / 375f / gas 5
- Soak the breadcrumbs in milk and set aside
- Place all other ingredients (apart from the oil) in the food processor and mix until all ingredients are combined.
- Add the breadcrumb mixture and mix again until you have a smooth paste.
- Roll into heaped tablespoon balls (I made 22) and place on a baking tray
- Chill for 15 mins. Heat the oil in a wide, shallow frying pan and brown the balls. Then return to the baking tray.
- Cook for 15 minutes.
- Serve with cucumber raita or a dip of your choice.
* Nutritional values are an estimate only, based on an online calculator. They should be used as a guide only.
Emma says
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 says
HI Emma, I’ve made them loads without the spinach – I just add the spinach for extra goodness! Hope you liked them ??
Amanda says
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 says
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!
Cody says
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 says
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)
Michelle says
These look so yummy! Should the breadcrumbs be fresh or dry? Going to give them a go this weekend
Amy says
Hi Michelle, Thank you, you can use either. Enjoy 🙂
Vicky says
Hi Amy,
Can I used minced beef instead of lamb?
Waiting for my little man to be tested for a potential egg allergy and I’ve been told to avoid egg until he is tested, finding it difficult to find egg free recipes – any suggestions? Using Flaxseeds as an alternative hasn’t really worked
Many thanks
Vicky
Amy says
Hi Vicky, I have never tried beef mince but it should work. Have you tried chia eggs before, without testing it myself I can’t say how it would work in this recipe. Hope it works for you, I’d love to know if you give it a try.
Chef biraj says
Thanks for the nice post, I made meatball recipe but I used beef mince for this. I loved the ingredients, that you are using for lamb meatball. Thanks for the sharing your post.
Amy says
Thank you!
Alicia says
Baby girl loved this recipe. Had to get them into the freezer stash before the husband ate them all!
Amy says
Excellent! Love that they are baby and hubby approved!!
Nat Pie says
Hi Amy, is there a gluten free alternative for the breadcrumbs?
Amy says
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?