During our month long travels through Morocco we did our very best to eat everything we came across. We sampled a variety of tajines and though I regret never convincing Chris that a Tagine was worth trekking around in our suitcase for 4 months, I am glad that I had the chance to learn how to cook authentic tajines. I left the country with a couple tajine recipes. We were doing Moroccan HomeExchanges and a couple of them came with a personal chef so I made it my mission to get in the kitchen with them. This Kefta Mkaoura dish I am going to share with you today is one I learned from a lovely lady called Mouna who looked after us in Marrakech. Over the last three years I’ve made this dish numerous times (even though I still haven’t bought myself a tagine) and have taken a few short cuts without compromising taste. What I love about this meatball and egg, tomato dish is that we can easily adapt it using spices found in our cupboards (well at least I tend to have these spices on hand as we use them in South Asian dishes often). It definitely reminded me of Shakshouka dishes but the addition of meatballs is pure perfection and easily whip-able for dinner, even after a full day at work. My kids love helping to roll the meatballs which helps keep them quiet and takes a chunk of time off my hands as well – win win y’all!
Cooking with Kids | Moroccan Kefta Mkaoura
Meatball and Egg Tajine Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground beef or lamb (you can use other ground meats if you wish but this is what’s traditionally used)
- 2 tablespoons of salt
- 5 chopped medium sized tomatoes (you can use caned ones if you prefer.. or a mix of fresh and canned)
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 large chopped onion
- 3 chopped garlic cloves
- 1 tablespoon paprika (or chili powder…add more if you like things spicy)
- 2 tablespoons cumin seeds or powder
- 1 tablespoon turmeric
- 1 tablespoon black pepper
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder (or a stick of cinnamon)
- 3 tablespoons of finely chopped parsley (you can use dried if that’s all you have)
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro (or a handful… never have too much!)
- 1 green bell pepper finely chopped
- 1 cup of water or broth if needed
- 4 eggs
Meatball and Egg Tajine Instructions
Click here for more Moroccan food inspiration!
Additional Moroccan Meatball Tajine Tips
- If you happen to have Ras el Hanout spice in your cupboard, you can easily use 3 tablespoons of that and forget about the cumin, turmeric and cinnamon.
- You don’t need a tagine to make this Moroccan recipe but the dish will taste so much better in one ;). A deep but wide dish will work just as well. A wok is what I use mostly.
- You can omit the eggs and swap in some olives if you prefer
- If time permits you can REALLY flavour your meatballs by seasoning it with additional parsley, cumin, cinnamon and chopped onion. I however don’t notice a huge difference when I save some time and add more seasoning to the sauce.
Have you tried these easy Moroccan Zucchini boats?
Gloria
July 16, 2020 at 12:15 pmWow this looks so good! Appreciate the very detailed instructions in this recipe
Micheline
July 22, 2020 at 7:45 pmWow this Moroccan recipe looks really tasty , thank you for sharing.
Amanda Masters
November 29, 2020 at 10:33 amMy 12 year old makes incredible meatballs. these look delicious, love how you can use them in so many different ways.
Lisa DT
December 12, 2020 at 1:58 pmI had no clue, Italian tomatoes were used. LOL