Description
This Spicy Meatball Tagine with Bulgur & Chickpeas is a flavorful North African-inspired dish featuring tender beef meatballs simmered with aromatic spices, tomatoes, and olives, served alongside hearty bulgur wheat and protein-rich chickpeas. It combines a lovely balance of heat, zest, and earthiness, perfect for a comforting and wholesome meal.
Ingredients
Scale
Meatballs
- 2 onions (1 quartered, 1 halved and sliced)
- 2 tbsp tomato purée
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp chilli powder
- 500g extra-lean beef mince
- 2 tsp rapeseed oil
Tagine
- 4 large carrots, cut into batons
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- 400g can chopped tomatoes
- 1 lemon, zest removed and chopped
- 12 Kalamata olives, chopped
- 1 tbsp vegetable bouillon powder
- Handful fresh coriander, chopped
Bulgur & Chickpeas
- 200g bulgur wheat
- 400g can chickpeas
- 2 tsp vegetable bouillon powder
- 2 tsp ground coriander
Instructions
- Prepare the Meatball Mixture: Put the quartered onion in a food processor and process until finely chopped. Add the minced beef, 1 tablespoon of tomato purée, garlic cloves, egg, and chilli powder to the processor. Blitz everything together to form a smoothish paste.
- Form and Cook Meatballs: Divide the meat mixture into 26 even-sized portions and roll each into a ball. Heat the rapeseed oil in a large frying pan and cook the meatballs for 5-10 minutes, until they are lightly browned on all sides. Remove the meatballs from the pan and set aside on a plate.
- Cook Vegetables and Build Flavor: In the same pan, add the sliced onion and carrot batons. Stir fry briefly in the pan juices to soften them slightly. Add ground cumin and 2 teaspoons of ground coriander, stirring to combine.
- Simmer the Tagine: Pour in the chopped tomatoes along with 1 ½ cans of water. Stir in the chopped lemon zest, remaining tablespoon of tomato purée, chopped Kalamata olives, and 1 tablespoon of vegetable bouillon powder. Return the browned meatballs to the pan. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes until the carrots are just tender. Stir in the freshly chopped coriander at the end.
- Cook Bulgur and Chickpeas: While the tagine simmers, put the bulgur wheat, chickpeas (with liquid from the can), 2 cans of water, 2 teaspoons of vegetable bouillon powder, and 2 teaspoons of ground coriander into a separate pan. Cover and cook for 10 minutes until the bulgur is tender and the liquid has been absorbed.
- Serve: Serve the tagine alongside the bulgur and chickpeas, dividing each into half for a meal and reserving leftovers if desired.
Notes
- Using extra-lean beef keeps the dish lower in fat without sacrificing flavor.
- Adjust the chilli powder quantity to control the heat level.
- The lemon zest adds a fresh zing that brightens the rich flavors.
- Bulgur wheat cooks quickly and has a wonderful nutty texture, making it perfect to pair with the tagine.
- Leftovers can be refrigerated and enjoyed the next day, as the flavors develop even more.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: North African
Keywords: spicy meatball tagine, bulgur wheat, chickpeas, North African recipe, healthy beef meatballs, quick tagine, paprika meatballs
