Lebanese Meatballs

I know. These Lebanese meatballs look really good, don’t they? Piled three to a plate topped with a luscious whipped tahini sauce and surrounded by classic Middle Eastern sides like tabbouleh and cucumber salad, this meal is a winner.

Lebanese meatballs (kafta)

Meatballs around the world come in all shapes, sizes, and flavor profiles ~ so different from the Italian style meatballs we love in the US. I crave them all, but especially Middle Eastern style, loaded with fresh herbs and fragrant with warm spices like cinnamon, allspice, coriander and cumin. The meatballs from Lebanon, Turkey, Iran, Israel, Palestine and Egypt are all variations on this delicious theme.

what’s in my version of Lebanese meatballs?

Flavors tend to get sucked up by ground meat dishes like meatballs and meatloaves so don’t be shy with seasonings if you want the flavors to come through in your meatballs.

• ground beef and ground lamb
  • I like to mix the two because the flavor of the lamb, while wonderful, can be intense and the beef mellows it out. The higher fat content of lamb helps make a soft and juicy meatball.
• egg
  • eggs add moisture and bind the meat together. Egg is not always included in Lebanese meatballs but I like to use it for extra moisture.
• bread crumbs
  • you can use any you like, but I make my own in my food processor with rustic artisan bread. Just blitz until the crumbs are fine and even. Note: some Lebanese meatball recipes (kibbeh) use bulgur wheat as a binder.
• onion
• fresh parsley and mint
• ground cumin, coriander, cinnamon, and allspice
  • along with the fresh herbs, these warm spices are the defining element in these meatballs. Since you can’t taste as you go with raw meat, you’ll just have to trust me on this.
• salt and pepper

Once you have the meatball ‘formula’ down, you can tweak it any way you like. My formula is an egg and half a cup of some kind of bread crumb for every pound of ground meat. The rest is up for grabs. I consider myself  a meatball expert at this point, I make them all the time. If you love them too, check out some of the other meatball recipes on the site, there are some amazing recipes here.

a surprising meatball making method

I swear by mixing ground meat for meatloaves, burgers, and meatballs like these Lebanese meatballs in my stand mixer. I use the low speed and the paddle attachment to blend up the ingredients gently and efficiently. I don’t have to get my hands messy and the slow turning of the paddle actually blends the meat more gently than I can do with my hands! The mixture stays loose and the meatballs turn out light and fluffy.

To form my meatballs I use a 1/3 measuring cup to portion out the meat and then roll in my hands. You can make yours smaller or large, as you like, just adjust the cooking time.

how to cook Lebanese meatballs

Browning on the stove and finishing in the oven is the best way to cook meatballs. You get the benefit of caramelization on the outside, and then gentle cooking to finish, without overcooking.

1. Start by browning the meatballs in olive oil. Give them one or two turns to get at least 2 sides browned. Do this in batches so you don’t crowd your pan.
2. Transfer the meatballs to a baking sheet and finish in a 350F oven. The interior temperature should be 160-165F. I use this digital meat thermometer, just put the probe into one meatball and wait for the buzzer to tell you when they’re done.

Tips for fabulous Lebanese meatballs

• Use fresh herbs only for this recipe, and don’t skimp, they add moisture and flavor to this recipe ~ they really bring these meatballs to life! And remember that fresh herbs shrink down drastically when you chop them finely, so measure after chopping.
• Don’t be afraid of the spices, they may seem unusual for a meat dish, but trust me, they make these meatballs taste incredible.
• Be sure to chop onions and herbs finely for best meatball texture. I like to use my small food processor.
• Just like with any ground meat, don’t overwork it by mixing too much. Just blend until all the ingredients are well combined and don’t compact it.
• The meatball mixture, or the raw meatballs themselves can be made up to a day ahead of time for a super quick meal.
• Halve the recipe for a smaller batch. You can even bake the meatballs in the same skillet used for browning.

We had these meatballs with tabbouleh, cucumber salad, and whipped tahini. I have several tabbouleh recipes on the site:

• Tabbouleh Bowls with Shrimp (just sub the shrimp for the meatballs.)
• Loaded Tabbouleh Salad
• Cauliflower Rice Tabbouleh (for a gluten free version)
• Jeweled Tabbouleh
• Tabbouleh

Cucumber salads are popular in the Middle East, and many different takes on the concept would be nice with these Lebanese meatballs.

• Creamy Cucumber Salad
• Lentil Salad Recipe with Cucumber and Mint
• Corn and Cucumber Salad
• Japanese Cucumber Salad (Sunomono)
• Tzatziki Dip
• Arabic/Israeli Salad Recipe with Za’atar Dressing
• Shirazi Salad (Persian Cucumber Tomato Salad) below.

Don’t forget the hummus! I’ve always loved serving hummus topped with meat as a main course like I do with Spiced Lamb Meatballs with Hummus.

• Lemon Artichoke Hummus
• Instant Pot Hummus
• Loaded Hummus
• Warm Hummus with Mushrooms
• Cilantro Hummus
• Hummus with Forty Cloves

Some sort of flatbread is always a good idea

• How to Make Homemade Pita Bread
• How to Make Laffa Bread

And of course the all important tahini sauce!

• Whipped Tahini
• Homemade Tahini