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Kibbeh Meatballs With Spiced Yogurt Sauce is a delicious Lebanese appetizer or main dish recipe that’s traditionally made with ground lamb. These easy meatballs are made with beef, with Lebanese spices.
Kibbeh Meatballs With Spiced Yogurt Sauce
A few months ago I shared a recipe for Kibbeh that I made when I was visiting my Mom.
When we made that kibbeh, we baked it in the oven, which is how I grew up making it. This kibbeh meatballs recipe is a little different–you cook the meatballs in a skillet with olive oil. I really enjoyed this recipe because it got the Kibbeh meatballs a little more crisp on the outside. The flavors mixed with the ground beef (you can also use lamb for these) was perfect. They pair perfectly with hummus, fattoush and some Za’atar Roasted Carrots.
You can make these into smaller meatballs and serve as an appetizer alongside the spiced yogurt sauce, or make normal sized meatballs and serve on a bed of rice or in a pita sandwich.
WHAT INGREDIENTS ARE IN THESE MEATBALLS?
GROUND BEEF: I used ground beef in these meatballs but you can also do a combination of ground beef and ground lamb or even just ground lamb.
SHALLOT & GARLIC: The chopped up shallot and garlic add flavor to these meatballs. Feel free to also use sweet onion that is finely chopped.
BULGUR WHEAT: The bulgur wheat helps to hold together these meatballs. It is what is used in traditional kibbeh.
SPICES: The spice mixture in these meatballs is cumin, allspice and cinnamon. These spices work nicely together and add a warm, rich flavor to the beef.
YOGURT: The yogurt sauce is the perfect pairing for the meatballs and a great way to serve the meatballs as an appetizer.
A couple of things to help you make this delicious recipe:
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Hamilton Beach 10-Cup Food Processor
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Kibbeh Meatballs with Spiced Yogurt Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups nonfat yogurt, Greek or regular
- 1 cup cucumber, shredded
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp garlic, minced
- Pinch salt
- Pinch black pepper
- 3/4 cup bulgar, uncooked (cracked wheat)
- 2 cups cold water
- 1 lb. ground beef , or lean ground lamb 20% fat
- 1/4 cup shallots, minced
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, minced
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp allspice
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp red pepper
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- Combine the first 6 ingredients in a small bowl, chill in the refrigerator.
- Combine the bulgar with 2 cups of water in a medium bowl. Let the bulgar stand for 30 minutes on the counter, drain the bulgar by squeezing it with your hands to get rid of excess water.
- Combine bulgar, meat (lamb or ground beef) and next 7 ingredients (through red pepper) in a food processor and process until it becomes a smooth mixture.
- Cover the meat mixture and chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- Form meat mixture into small balls making sure to roll each one evenly and to the same size as the others.
- Heat olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add meatballs (as many as fit) and cook for about 13-14 minutes, turning as they cook to brown all sides. Repeat with remaining meatballs.
- Let cool and serve with spiced yogurt sauce over a bed of rice, on a pita sandwich or as an appetizer.
Notes
- You can freeze the leftovers warm up a few at a time as you need them.
- You can use ground lamb as well.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hello! I like you recipe, but what do you mean with ” all spices”? . Please help me, I would like to do this 🙂
Thanks for stopping by! Allspice is a spice that you can find in most grocery stores. Here is the description: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allspice. Hope you like them!
I want to make these so bad! I’ve only had kibbeh out and if its on a menu I just have to order it! These look so good, so glad you shared a recipe for them. 🙂
Thanks Aggie! I love Kibbeh too! If you like kibbeh you will love these with the crispy outer shell! 🙂
I was wondering what type of bulgar, fine or coarse or does it matter?? I only have Bobs red mill on hand …. thank you
I just fine but that is a preference because I like it the texture when it is smaller bulgar. You can use whatever you have on hand–I have used Bobs Red Mill and that works.
I think this is the perfect bite for a wonderful weekend. Hope you had a great one, my friend 🙂
These meatballs are superb! I love that it has bulgur in it, it gives a great flavor to any dish! And I imagine I dip some meatballs into that appetizing yogurt sauce! YUM! A great family dinner! BTW I love that wooden spoon, a unique one!
Thanks Zerrin. The yogurt sauce is great for these meatballs but would be great for other things like pita sandwiches!
I absolutely love kibbeh. What a great recipe!
Thanks, Jen! I think you would really like them!
This is one of my favorite things. I’m going to try your recipe because they look fantastic.
I think you will like it a lot! The flavors are really great with the spices that are in these.
I am so happy I have another recipe to use bulgar with!!!! These would be great for a party… not the normal meatball!
Oh yes! I remember a dish you made using bulgar! This would definitely be another good use for it.
This is my husband’s favorite Syrian dish!!! Can’t wait to try these!!
He will really like these! They have great flavor.
Mmmm… yogurt sauce is my favorite! This looks like a light yet fulfilling meal. YUM!
Thanks Becky! Yogurt goes great on almost anything! I love it too.