Spiced Meatballs with Yogurt Sauce

My favorite way to add some flavor to a low sodium diet is to toss in lots and lots of spices.  These spiced meatballs paired with a tangy yogurt sauce do exactly that.

I have to say, I am not big on the flavors that go into these spiced meatballs.  I am always leery of Mediterranean, Moroccan, or Eastern foods.  And sorry to all of you curry-lovers out there, but if I had to pick a least favorite food, curry would top the list.  It’s just not my jam.  But alas, with Joe on a low sodium diet I have had to test lots of new flavors that are way out of my comfort zone, including these spiced meatballs.  And you know what? I love these.  From the cumin and coriander to the mint and turmeric, I love them.

That being said, welcome to one of my favorite Sunday dinners. Yes, these meatballs take a bit of extra time to get pulled together, but they are oh so worth it.  Added bonus? They are really good leftover so making them on Sunday means we can go into our work week with a lunch or two ready to go. I have also made these on a weekday, but when I do I usually get the meat mixed up the day before to make it a little easier to get on the table after a long day at work.

I am sitting here wondering if I have any tips for you when you make these… I’m gonna go with yes and I will make a list here. 🙂

1. If you have time to let meat mixture rest (30 min to overnight), do it. This helps the flavors really saturate the meat.
2. Keep your hands damp to keep the meat from sticking while you are forming the meatballs.
3. Don’t overcrowd the pan, it’ll keep them from browning nicely because the liquid can’t cook off as quickly.
4. Don’t wash the pan after you’ve cooked the spiced meatballs.  All those sticky bits on the pan = flavor.
5. When you serve them, add the red pepper flakes and turmeric sparingly at first.  They pack a ton of flavor and you can always add more but you can’t take it away if you accidentally go a little heavy.

Spiced Meatballs with Yogurt Sauce

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SODIUM COUNT: 207 mg sodium per bagel; 1240 mg sodium in the entire recipe

• Prep Time: 25 minutes
• Cook Time: 45 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
• Yield: 6 1x

Ingredients

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Meatballs:

• 1 ½ pounds lean ground beef*
• ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
• ½ tsp fresh ground black pepper
• ½ cup red onion ((finely chopped))
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• ¼ tsp cinnamon
• 1/8–1/4 tsp cayenne ((to taste))
• 2 large eggs ((notice that you will need an additional egg for the yogurt sauce))
• 1 Tbsp oil

Yogurt Sauce:

• 1 cup unsalted chicken broth**
• 1 Tbsp corn starch
• 6 Tbsp milk
• ¼ cup lemon juice
• 1 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
• 1 large egg

Toppings:

• 3 ounces Goat cheese
• Pinch Turmeric
• Fresh chopped mint
• Red pepper flakes

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Instructions

Meatballs:

1. In a large bowl, mix together the lean ground beef, panko breadcrumbs, black pepper, onion, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, cayenne, and eggs. Using your hands, work all the ingredients together until well incorporated. Refrigerate the mix for 30 min or overnight (this step is recommended, but if you don’t have time to mix it up in advance, you can skip it).
2. Form mixture into meatballs, each about the size of a ping pong ball. This should make about 30 1-ounce meatballs. Set the meatballs aside on a platter or baking sheet. Keeping your hands wet while forming the meatballs will keep the meat from excessively sticking to your hands.
3. Preheat oven to 200°F. Heat a tablespoon of oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Cook the meatballs in the skillet for about 5-7 minutes per side until well-browned and cooked through (about 20 min total). Avoid overcrowding the pan, working in batches if necessary. As the meatballs are finished, move them to baking sheet and place in the preheated oven to keep warm. Do not scrape or wash the pan; you’re going to want that flavor in the yogurt sauce.

Yogurt Sauce:

1. When you are finished cooking the meatballs, pour (or dab) off excess oil. Add the chicken broth to the pan and bring to a slow simmer.
2. While the chicken broth begins to simmer, whisk the corn starch and milk together in a small bowl. Gently stir in the lemon juice and Greek yogurt. Whisk in the egg.
3. Once the chicken broth begins to simmer, turn heat to low and pour the yogurt mixture slowly into the skillet, whisking constantly. Continue whisking until the yogurt is heated through and slightly thickened (about 15 min). Do not boil.

To Serve:

1. Serve meatballs topped with the yogurt sauce, chopped mint, turmeric, red pepper flakes, and goat cheese. Goes great with orzo and fresh sliced vegetables.

Notes

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION – Yield: 6 servings (5 meatballs with sauce and ½ ounce goat cheese)
Sodium: 206.6 mg, Calories: 334.7, Total Fat: 14.1 g, Saturated Fat: 6.0 g, Cholesterol: 175.9 mg, Carbohydrates: 13.2 g, Fiber: 0.3 g, Sugar: 2.6 g, Protein: 36.9 g.

* For the nutritional information, I used 95/5 extra lean ground beef.
** For the nutritional information, I used Swanson unsalted chicken broth (40 mg sodium per cup).

Recipe adapted from https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1019197-spiced-lamb-meatballs-with-yogurt-and-herbs

Nutrition

• Calories: 335