Tangy Harissa Lamb Meatball Tagine – 6sp

My hubby is a massive fan of all things lamb and all things spicy so tonight I decided the come up with a new recipe which combined both. The result was delicious. As you can see from the picture, the dish is bursting with colour and as a result, flavour. The tagine itself is only 6sp per person and I served this with a drizzle of fat free Greek yoghurt (0sp each) and a pitta for an extra 4sp per person. This meant the whole dish was 10sp and it was lovely and filling. If you have a very hungry other half you could even serve this with a little rice but in my view, the addition of chickpeas and a pitta are filling enough!

The ingredient list might look lengthy but most of the ingredients are store cupboard essentials. Plus the actual method is very quick and easy indeed!

Tangy Harissa Lamb Meatball Tagine

Serves 4 = 6sp per person for the tagine (Flex)

Ingredients

For the meatballs

300g lean lamb mince (16% fat)

2 tsp each smoked paprika, ground coriander and ground cumin

Twist of black pepper

Zest of 1 lemon

1 egg, beaten

For the sauce

1 onion, finely diced

2 peppers, deseeded and finely diced

3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped

600ml of passata (one and a half supermarket sized boxes)

2 tbsp harissa paste

1 tbsp pomegranate molasses

1 tbsp honey

2 tsp each smoked paprika and cumin

1 tsp sumac (optional)

Tin of chickpeas in water (400g)

Salt and pepper

To serve

Drizzle of fat free Greek yoghurt (1 tbsp)

Sprinkle of fresh parsley and fresh mint

Large spoonful of fresh pomegranate seeds

Squeeze of lemon juice

4 x pittas (4 sp each – I used Weight Watchers High Protein White and Wholemeal Pittas), toasted

Half a cucumber, peeled with a julienne peeler and drizzled with a little lemon juice

Method

Pre heat the oven to 180c.

Pop all the ingredients for the meatballs in a large bowl, combine and then shape into 12 evenly sized meatballs. Pop into the tagine (or oven proof pan) and pop in the oven for 15 minutes.

While the meatballs are cooking you can get on with making the sauce. Take a large saucepan, spray with 1kal and fry the onions, garlic and peppers until they are soft (around 6 minutes). Add the passata, harissa, pomegranate molasses, honey, spices and chickpeas. Season to taste with salt and pepper and then simmer until the meatballs are cooked.

Drain the fat from the cooked meatballs, return the meatballs to the tagine and cover in the tomato sauce. Pop back in the oven for another 15 minutes.

Once cooked, remove from the oven and serve drizzled with the yoghurt, fresh herbs and pomegranate seeds. Finish with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.

Serve as a sharing dish with a side of pittas and the lemon julienne cucumber on top.

Enjoy!