Lebanese Cinnamon Meatballs

By The Mediterranean Dish · 60 min

Ingredients

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Soak the toasted bread in the milk until very soft, about 15 minutes, then squeeze out as much milk as you can.
3. Put the soaked bread, ground beef, egg, grated onion, garlic, parsley, cinnamon, allspice, cardamom, crushed red pepper if using, and salt and pepper into a large bowl. Mix and knead by hand until combined.
4. Shape the mixture into tablespoon-sized meatballs and arrange them in a single layer on the lined sheet. Bake at 375°F for 11 to 14 minutes; they may not be fully cooked yet, so set them aside.
5. For the sauce, heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large, deep pan until shimmering but not smoking. Cook the 1 cup grated onion over medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring often, until golden. Add the 2 minced garlic cloves and cook for about 30 seconds.
6. Add the grated carrot, crushed tomatoes, 1/2 cup water, pomegranate molasses if using, 2 bay leaves, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp allspice, and salt and pepper. Bring to a boil for about 5 minutes, then lower the heat.
7. Add the baked meatballs to the sauce, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes, until the meatballs are cooked through. Garnish with parsley if you like.
8. Note: crushed red pepper flakes are optional for a spicier sauce.

Summarized from The Mediterranean Dish's video. Watch it for the details.