Vegan Meatballs in Lemon-Olive Sauce
Here is your next dinner: North African style vegan meatballs with plenty of spices and herbs, in a rich lemon-olive sauce. Serve with couscous, and you are all set!
Ingredients
Vegan Meatballs
- 500 grams vegan minced meat those that contain a binder like flour (beyond for example)
- 2 tbsp chopped parsley
- 2 tbsp chopped cilantro
- 2 tsp Ras El Hannut to taste
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp onion powder optional
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- ⅛ tsp ground black pepper
- ½ tsp salt to taste
Lemon-olives Sauce
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 1 Large onion, peeled, and chopped
- 3 cloves minced garlic
- 2 cloves sliced garlic
- 2 tsp paprika
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp ground coriander
- ¼ tsp ground cardamom
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp salt to taste
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- 1 can Syrian olives a can of 540 grams (19oz)
- 2 cups water
- ¼ cup olive brine
- 2 tsp preserved lemon
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- ¼ tsp sugar
- ¼ green chili pepper, chopped or a pinch of chili powder
- 2 Tablespoon chopped cilantro
For Serving
- instant couscous cooked as indicated on the package*
- cilantro leaves
Instructions
Vegan Meatballs
- In a large bowl, put all the meatballs ingredients and mix until combined.
Lemon-olives Sauce
- Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a large saucepan or skillet.
- Fry the onion for about 6-7 minutes, until the onion is soft.
- Add the garlic and fry for a few seconds.
- Add the rest of the spices and mix for a minute.
- Strain the can of olives over a bowl, add the olives to the sauce and mix well.
- Add water, olive brine, preserved lemon, lemon juice, green chili pepper, chopped coriander, and mix. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
- Bring to a boil and reduce to medium-low heat.
- With wet hands, form the mixture into balls about the size of falafel balls (about 3 cm in diameter (1.2 inch) and transfer to the sauce.
- Cover the top of the meatballs with the sauce using a spoon.
- Cover and cook for fifteen minutes, occasionally gently shaking the pan. After about fifteen minutes, remove the lid, increase the heat a little, and cook for another five minutes until the sauce thickens.
For Serving
- Place couscous on a plate, add meatballs and sauce on top, sprinkle chopped cilantro or parsley, and enjoy❤️
Notes
The Syrian olives have a deep olive taste; do not be tempted to replace them with regular pitted olives, as this will spoil the authentic taste of the dish. Since the Syrian olives come with the pits, inform the diners about this :),
Tip: chopping parsley and cilantro will be much easier and faster if you sprinkle salt on top.
Add olive oil and salt (to taste) to the instant couscous with boiling water.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!