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All Posts, by Date » Lunch / Dinner » Family Friendly Dinners » Spiced Meatballs

Spiced Meatballs

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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.

Child Dipping Spiced Meatball in Mint Yogurt Sauce

Reasons to Love these Spiced Meatballs

  1. 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.)
  2. Freezer Friendly: Double the batch and freeze for another night. 
  3. Lovely hot or cold: Eat them warm stuffed into pitas or enjoy them cold in salads.

Ingredient Information (with Substitute Suggestions)

Flat Lay of Ingredients for Spiced Meatballs (Labelled)
  • 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

Collage of 4 Images Showing How to Make Spice Meatballs 1) Soaking Breadcrumbs in Milk 2) All Ingredients in Mixing Bowl 3)Raw Meatballs on Tray 4)Cooked Meatballs on Tray
  1. SOAK: Add the milk to the breadcrumbs and allow to sit. This helps make the meatballs nice and tender. 
  2. MIX: Place all the ingredients (except oil) into a bowl and mix with your hands or a wooden spoon.
  3. 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. 
  4. COOK: Spray with oil then bake for 20 mins, the internal temperature should be at least 71C/160F.

Watch How to Make Them

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
Child Holding Pita Pocket Stuffed with Lettuce, Carrot, Spiced Meatballs and Mint Yogurt

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are these suitable for babies?

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.

Can I freeze the meatballs before cooking?

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.

Can you cook these on the stovetop instead of the oven?

Yes, if you prefer to cook on the stovetop then you can. Heat 1 tbsp 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.

Child Holding Spiced Meatball with Bite Taken Out. Plate of Meatballs in Background

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Child Dipping Spiced Meatball in Mint Yogurt Sauce
4.86 from 7 votes

Spiced Meatballs

Lamb mince, spices & spinach are mixed together and then formed into balls to make theses deliciously spiced meatballs. 
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Serves:21 Meatballs
Hover over “serves” value to reveal recipe scaler
Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients

  • 30g (½ cup) – fresh breadcrumbs
  • 1 ½ tablespoons milk
  • 500g (1lb) minced lamb (ground lamb)
  • 1 egg
  • 1 garlic clove ,minced
  • 1 tsp ginger ,minced
  • 2 tsp garam masala
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 cup (35g) spinach leaves ,finely chopped after measuring
  • 2 tablespoons coriander (cilantro), leaves and stems ,finely chopped
  • ½ tsp 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

*Do not add salt if making for a baby. You can remove your baby’s portion and then season the remaining mixture. 
Nutritional values are a ROUGH estimate only, calculated using an online calculator. 
Nutrition Facts
Spiced Meatballs
Amount Per Serving (1 g)
Calories 80 Calories from Fat 54
% Daily Value*
Fat 6g9%
Saturated Fat 3g15%
Trans Fat 1g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
Monounsaturated Fat 3g
Cholesterol 25mg8%
Sodium 27mg1%
Potassium 71mg2%
Carbohydrates 1g0%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 1g1%
Protein 5g10%
Vitamin A 173IU3%
Vitamin C 1mg1%
Calcium 10mg1%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Course:Main Meal
Cuisine:Indian Inspired
Keyword:Meatballs, Spiced Meatballs
Did you make this recipe?Mention @WPRecipeMaker or tag #wprecipemaker!

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.

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Meet Amy

Amy Whiteford runs the blog Healthy Little Foodies. She is a mum to two, has a BSc (Hons) Food Science, PGDE Primary Education and a Certificate in Childhood Nutrition. She uses her experience and knowledge to create healthy and delicious recipes for kids. Explore the site for creative ideas, tips, and inspiration! Read more

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25 Comments

  1. Fifa says

    5 stars
    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!

    Reply