Moroccan Meatballs plus Roasted Tomatoes & Chickpeas

At a glance

What stands out: You’ll love the flavorful spices in these Moroccan meatballs and even better, tomatoes, onions, and peppers roast with the meatballs in your oven for a straightforward one pan dinner.

How long it takes: 40 minutes
Equipment you’ll need: sharp knife, large bowl, sheet pan, oven
Servings: 4

Moroccan spiced meatballs, roasted on a sheet pan with sweet cherry tomatoes, onions, peppers, and chickpeas, are topped with salty feta and freshly chopped parsley and mint. A squeeze of sweet orange juice adds a nice citrus note, making this one pan dinnerso flavorful.

When we saw a similar recipe in a Good Housekeeping magazine, we couldn’t wait to try it. Naturally, we made it our own and we are pleased with how it turns out.

Take meatballs up a notch with these Moroccan spiced meatballs. We think you’re going to love them!

One Pan Moroccan Meatball Dinner

Warm Moroccan-style spices. What makes these meatballs or any food “Moroccan”? You’ll notice warm spices like cinnamon, allspice, cumin, and coriander. In some ways, it may remind you a bit of curry. Often dried fruit like raisins or apricots are included, chickpeas are common, and sometimes olives or capers.

Roasted on one pan. The meatballs and vegetables are roasted in the oven on one pan so clean up is straightforward. However, if you serve the meal with couscous, you’ll have two pans. We're sorry, that’s two pans; don’t throw your meatballs at us! If you really want a one pan dinner, this meatball and vegetable dinner will easily stand on its own, or you could add a loaf of crusty bread.

What goes in

• Ground Beef or Turkey: Any ground meat, including lamb, will work. Choose a lean meat with a low ratio of fat such as 92/8.
• Egg: One egg glues the meatballs together.
• Panko: Other types of breadcrumbs are fine, too. Panko is pretty coarse so if you choose fine breadcrumbs, add a bit less. If you prefer, use oats or gluten-free panko.
• Seasonings: The meatballs are warmly seasoned with grated Garlic, Cumin, Allspice, Cinnamon, Salt, and Pepper. They are flavorful.
• Cherry or Grape Tomatoes, Bell Pepper, Sweet Onions: This trio is so good roasted with the meatballs but feel free to substitute other veggies of your choice.
• Chickpeas: We always keep a can of chickpeas in our pantry. They add protein and an almost nutty texture to so many dishes.
• Feta Cheese: Salty feta cheese adds just the right note but can easily be omitted if you want to make this dish dairy-free.
• Parsley and Mint: Don’t skip the fresh herbs! They add so much freshness to the dish.
• Orange Wedges: A squeeze of orange gives a nice bright note.
• Couscous: This straightforward to mix pasta is traditionally served with Moroccan dishes. If you’re looking for a low carb alternative, try cauliflower rice. The texture is similar to couscous.

How it comes together

You’ll need a nice big sheet pan and a large mixing bowl. Get your oven preheating and let’s get started.

Make the meatballs. Put the meat, egg, panko, grated garlic, and seasonings in a large bowl.

Use your hands to mix it all together. You don’t want to overmix it, just squish it around until everything is mixed up and it feels like it will stick together.

There’s two ways to form meatballs. Use a small scoop, like you would use for cookies. That’s a straightforward way that works great. Your meatballs won’t be evenly round but do you care? We bet you don’t!

If you don’t have a scoop, use your fingers. You’ll make sixteen to eighteen meatballs depending on how large you make them. Put them right onto the sheet pan.

Cooking Tip

Here’s a little trick we use when forming meatballs: Fill a small bowl with water and keep it handy. When your hands get too sticky (and they will!), dip your fingertips into the bowl of water before making the next meatball. Works evenly!

Add the vegetables and chickpeas to the pan. Leave the tomatoes whole but cut the onion and bell pepper into one inch chunks. Toss them, and a can of drained chickpeas, with a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper. Arrange them around the meatballs on the sheet pan.

Bake. Put the sheet pan into the preheated oven and bake 20 minutes or so or until everything is done to your liking. The meatballs should reach an internal temperature of 165°F.

Prep the toppings and cook the couscous. While the meatballs are roasting, prep the fresh herbs and make the couscous. Couscous only takes five minutes or so to make.

Serve the meatballs and veggies on couscous (or not, if you prefer), topped with feta cheese, fresh parsley and mint, and a wedge of orange. So good!

We like to serve this dinner with a fruity white wine such as Gewürztraminer, Riesling, or Moscato. A red or brown ale is good, too.

Troubleshooting Tips

Why are our meatballs tough? Meatballs that have too little filler, i.e. breadcrumbs, oats, etc., can be more chewy but usually meatballs that are tough or chewy have been compacted too firmly. Be gentle when forming the balls, pressing them just until they hold together.

How do we keep our meatballs from falling apart? Meatballs need a little binder, something to glue everything together. Usually an egg is the glue. However, if you have too much egg, milk, or other liquid, the mixture can be too soft and the meatballs may fall apart as they cook. Too much bread can also make a meatball mushy and soft with a texture that’s more like stuffing.

Is it better to bake or fry meatballs? Baking meatballs eliminates most of the problem of meatballs falling apart because they brown and firm up in the oven undisturbed. There’s no need to constantly move the meatballs around to brown them on all sides like you would have to do in a skillet.

Ways to change it

• Substitute or add other veggies. We would stick with the tomatoes because they provide a little juiciness. Other good choices are carrots, butternut squash, Brussels sprouts, or whatever your heart desires.
• Skip the veggies. You can make the meatballs and serve them with sides of your choice.
• Use whatever ground meat you like best. If you’re vegetarian or vegan, try these eggplant meatballs. Prevention magazine has additional creative ways to make meatless meatballs.

Make-Ahead Ideas

If you want to get a jump on things, mix and form the meatballs a day ahead. Put them in a single layer, wrap tightly or cover, and refrigerate. The veggies can be prepped ahead too.

Keeping leftovers

Refrigerate/Freeze: Leftover cooked meatballs are great leftover. We even like them cold. Store them in the fridge forup to three days or in the freezer for up to a month.

Reheat: Warm leftover meatballs and vegetables in the microwave in 30 second increments on High until heated through. Alternatively, heat them in a skillet on the stove, stirring occasionally.

Leftover Love

Roasted veggies and meatballs make a great salad. If you like, warm the leftovers slightly, just to take the chill out. If you still have couscous, add that to the salad, too, along with chopped spinach, arugula, or kale. Make a sweet/tangy vinaigrette like this apricot vinaigrette dressing or honey mustard vinaigrette. White wine vinaigrette is reliable, too. Top with feta and chopped mint or parsley. Tasty!

Free Meal Plan

Interested in a weekly meal plan that includes this recipe? Take a look at our Meal Plan #28 or Meal Plan #85. You’ll find a wholesome recipe for each weekday plus a categorized grocery list. Let us do the planning for you this week! We add a new meal plan weekly.

Browse Meal Plans

We've been into meatballs lately. Oven meatballs are straightforward and you don’t have to worry about them falling apart. Make a double batch and keep some in the freezer for speedy meals later. Bonus: They thaw quickly!

• Yield: 4
• Prep: 20 minutes
• Cook: 20 minutes
• Total: 40 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 pound lean ground beef (92/8) or lean ground turkey (93/7)
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• ⅓ cup panko
• 2 cloves garlic, grated or minced
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
• ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¾ teaspoon salt, divided
• ½ teaspoon pepper, divided
• 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes
• ½ bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
• ½ lg. sweet onion, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 (16 oz.) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ¼ cup crumbled feta cheese
• ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
• Orange wedges, for serving
• Prepared couscous, for serving

Method

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Lightly spray large rimmed baking sheet (sheet pan).
2. In large bowl, combine ground meat, egg, panko, garlic, cumin, allspice, cinnamon, ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Use hands to lightly blend together. Do not overmix.
3. Using a 2 tablespoon scoop, shape meat mixture into 16 to 18 balls, and arrange on prepared pan.
4. In clean bowl, toss tomatoes, bell pepper, onions, and chickpeas with olive oil, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Add to pan, arranging around meatballs.
5. Roast 20 minutes, stirring once, until meatballs are done (165°F with instant read thermometer) and vegetables have softened.
6. Remove from oven and stir in feta, parsley and mint. Serve with couscous and orange wedges.

Notes

Nutrition information is based on a serving of 4 meatballs made with ground turkey, and vegetables. It does not include couscous.

Make Ahead Tip: Mix and form the meatballs a day ahead. Put them in a single layer, wrap tightly or cover, and refrigerate. The veggies can be prepped ahead too.

Meal Prep Idea: Make a double batch of the baked meatballs (without the veggies) and freeze up to three months. Add them to soups, stews, sauces, or salads.