The inspiration for the flavors in this one-pot dish are those commonly used in Moroccan tagines, stewed dishes cooked in earthenware pots of the same name. Here, the dish is cooked in a Dutch oven instead of a tagine, and features lemony lamb meatballs in a tomato-based sauce spiced with harissa and studded with eggplant and chickpeas for more heft and substance.
Bold ras el hanout linked the meatballs and the sauce while golden raisins (which we omitted) and pitted green olives brought sweetness and brininess, respectively. Fresh chopped herbs at the end add visual pop and bright flavor. Even though we used a spicy variety of harissa, we didn’t consider the dish very spicy at all, but then we can tolerate more potency.
NOTES: Harissa is available in spicy and mild varieties; we prefer spicy, but you can use the mild kind here or less of the spicy variety if you’re spice averse. You can substitute ground beef for the lamb, if desired. Couscous makes a nice side dish.
Keep in mind, the overall prep and cooking time took longer than the 1 hour noted in America’s Test Kitchen recipe, therefore I adjusted that notation in the recipe below.
One-Pot Lamb Meatballs with Eggplant and Chickpeas
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1 lb. ground lamb
- ½ cup panko bread crumbs
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 1 Tbsp. ras el hanout
- 2 tsp. grated lemon zest
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp. table salt
- 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
Eggplant and Sauce
- 1 lb. eggplant, cut into ½-inch pieces
- 1 onion, chopped fine
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 Tbsp. ras el hanout
- 1 tsp. table salt
- 1 28-oz. can crushed tomatoes
- 1 15-oz. can chickpeas, rinsed
- ¾ cup golden raisins (optional)
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup pitted green olives, halved
- ÂĽ cup harissa
- 2 tsp. grated lemon zest
- ½ cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro, divided
- ½ cup coarsely chopped fresh mint, divided
Directions
- FOR THE MEATBALLS: Combine lamb, panko, egg, ras el hanout, lemon zest, garlic, and salt in large bowl and mix with your hands until thoroughly combined. Divide into 16 even portions, about 1ÂĽ ounces each. Using your hands, roll each portion into ball.
- Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add meatballs and cook until well browned all over, about 5 minutes. Transfer meatballs to large plate, leaving fat in pot.
- FOR THE EGGPLANT AND SAUCE: Heat fat left in pot over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add eggplant, onion, garlic, ras el hanout, and salt and cook until vegetables are beginning to soften, 8 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Stir in tomatoes, chickpeas, raisins, water, olives, harissa, and lemon zest. Nestle meatballs into sauce. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover; and cook until eggplant is very tender and meatballs register 160 degrees, about 10 minutes.
- Off heat, stir in ÂĽ cup cilantro and ÂĽ cup mint. Sprinkle remaining ÂĽ cup cilantro and remaining ÂĽ cup mint over top and serve.
Adapted from a recipe by Mark Huxsoll for America’s Test Kitchen
Accounting for Taste 
This looks and sounds wonderful. I love Moroccan, and even more Tunisian, cooking and find ras el hanout a delightful spice mixture. Lamb for me and raisins still included 🙂 !
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