This is a guest recipe developed by my boyfriend, Chris, who made these delightful meatballs for dinner last night!  The dish is centered around Ras El Hanout, which is a Moroccan spice blend that contains cinnamon, cumin, and ginger, among other spices.  We were fortunate enough to receive some in the mail (my real job is a food scientist, so I get lots of fun shipments of new spice blends and flavors to try!). We decided to test it out in a meatball dish to recreate something similar to a turkey kebab.

If you are not receiving random spice blends in the mail, don’t despair!  There are several recipes out there to make Ras El Hanout, including this one from Epicurious.  This could also be skipped entirely and the recipe can be made as is with the cumin and coriander, perhaps with ¼ tsp of ground cinnamon and ground ginger to make a similar flavor profile.  I think the combination of spices is super fun and makes the meatball memorable and different from the traditional Italian style that I am used to, so give this a try!

Recipe down below, photo up top!

Mediterranean Style Turkey Meatballs

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ pounds ground turkey
• ½ cup minced onion
• 1 egg
• ½ cup bread crumbs
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tbsp coriander seeds, toasted and ground
• 1 tbsp cumin seeds, toasted and ground
• 2 tsp Ras El Hanout
• 1 cup crumbled Feta Cheese

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F.
2. Add all ingredients except for the feta cheese to a large bowl, and stir to fully incorporate.  Once combined, add the feta cheese and fold to fully combine.
   1. I usually do this step with my hands, but a spoon or spatula will work great if touching raw meat grosses you out!  As always, wash your hands thoroughly both before and after touching the raw meat.
3. Prepare a baking (sheet) tray by lining with foil and brushing with olive oil to create a non-stick surface.
4. Use your hands or a scoop to portion the meatballs into approximately 16 balls.  Place the meatballs onto the baking tray.
5. Once all of the meatballs are formed, place the tray in the oven and bake for 30 minutes.  Increase the heat to 400F and bake for another 5 minutes to allow the meatballs to brown fully.
6. Before consuming, check that the internal temperature of the meatballs is at least 165F.  If it is, remove the meatballs from the oven and allow to rest for about 5 minutes before consuming.
7. Enjoy!