Lamb Meatball Pitas

In this recipe, tender lamb meatballs are flavored with warm spices often found in a Moroccan pantry, fresh herbs, and orange zest for brightness. After a quick broil, they’re glazed with pomegranate molasses for a sweet and savory hit and then stuffed into pitas with arugula or watercress, mint, and pomegranate seeds. 

These meatballs are inspired by kefta, Moroccan meat patties that come in several different shapes including balls, ovals, and logs. They can be skewered and grilled, braised, or pan-fried. Kefta are often spiced with ras el hanout, a Moroccan spice mix that can include upwards of 30 different spices. Rather than use ras el hanout, I’ve opted to include a few of my favorite spices from the mix in these meatballs.

Pomegranate seeds, arugula, and mint provide both freshness, a slight spice, and a bitter bite as a foil to the sweetness of the molasses. All together with the meatballs it makes a satisfying compact meal in pita pockets.

How to Make Lamb Meatballs

These lamb meatballs are seasoned with orange zest, mint, cilantro, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, cayenne, and garlic.

Orange zest isn’t especially common in kefta but is a popular fruit in Morocco. When I was there 20 years ago, the freshly squeezed orange juice in the markets just about saved our lives in the heat. In this dish, it boosts the flavor of the meatballs and balances the rich lamb meat.

To keep the meatballs moist and to help it bind together, I add in an egg and panade, which is just breadcrumbs soaked in milk. Once shaped, the meatballs are broiled until lightly golden and glazed with pomegranate molasses. Along with the orange zest, the molasses here gives the final dish a sweet and sour tang that cuts through the richness of the lamb.

Why Broil Meatballs

I prefer broiling meatballs over frying them because it's quick and less messy.

• Golf ball-sized meatballs take about 8 minutes under the broiler.
• Smaller cocktail size meatballs cook in about 5 minutes.

You can serve the meatballs skewered onto toothpicks for parties, gatherings, or sporting events as they are or stuff them in pitas for a handheld dinner on the go.

What is Pomegranate Molasses?

Pomegranate molasses is pomegranate juice that has been cooked down, often with sugar, into a thick syrup. It has a sweet and tart flavor that pairs especially well with rich dishes like these meatballs, and is typically used in Middle Eastern cuisine.  This recipe only uses 2 tablespoons of pomegranate molasses, but don’t worry about using it all up right away: a bottle will last for months in your pantry.

It can be used as a glaze for most proteins, even shrimp. It’s also good on roasted vegetables, where both sweet and tart flavors are welcome, instead of a honey or maple glaze. More innovative uses are to add it to sparkling water for a refreshing drink, or use it to replace lemon juice or vinegar in salad dressings.

You can find it in well-stocked supermarkets, Middle Eastern stores, or online. The brands I’ve used are Cortas and Al Wadi. You can also make your own Pomegranate Molasses at home.

How to Seed a Pomegranate

Pomegranate seeds can be purchased, already removed from the fruit, in the produce section of supermarkets. However, it’s much less expensive to buy the fruit whole and deseed it yourself.

A word of caution: pomegranate juice will stain so don’t wear light-colored clothing for this task.

First, cut off the top and bottom (aka the blossom and end) of the fruit. Score the pomegranate about 6 times by cutting the fruit from the top to the bottom (think of how you score a naval orange to peel it.). Cut through the thick skin but try to avoid cutting into the seeds. Working over a bowl, use your fingers to gently pull the pomegranate apart.

Working with one chunk of pomegranate at a time, I gently pry the seeds from the membranes. Discard any seeds that look grayish or brownish as you go. If I have an especially juicy pomegranate, I will place the pomegranate inside of a clean plastic bag and peel it inside of the bag.

Ingredient Swaps and Substitutions

Lamb meatballs in pitas with arugula, mint and pomegranate seeds is one of my favorite combinations but don’t feel confined to these parameters. Here are some other ways to make and serve these meatballs:

• If you can’t find arugula, you can use another bitter green like watercress. Regular lettuce or a mesclun mix works too.
• The “stuffing” normally included in a gyro or falafel pita sandwich would also work well here: Lettuce, raw onions, tomatoes, and cucumbers.  
• While ground lamb is commonly used for kefta, beef or mixture of lamb and beef is also used and certainly more affordable. Ground poultry can also be used, preferably dark meat as it’s juicier.
• You can find spice mixes like ras el hanout or tagine spice blends in specialty markets or online if you wanted to use that instead of individual spices.
• I use a mixture of mint and cilantro in my meat mixture, but parsley can also be used, in conjunction or as the sole herb. You can also use all cilantro. I would avoid using all mint as that may be too strong.
• A pita sandwich makes this into a nice compact meal, but you can also serve these meatballs with flatbread or make it into a sub with a roll.

How to Freeze Meatballs

You can double or triple the recipe, cook, then freeze the unglazed meatballs for a quick meal anytime. The frozen meatballs are best when eaten within 3 months.

To reheat, put the frozen meatballs in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet, cover with foil, and reheat in a preheated 300°F oven until warmed through, at least 15 minutes. A larger batch will take longer to reheat. Glaze the meatballs after reheating.

More Marvelous Meatball Recipes

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