Lamb Meatballs in Tomato Curry Sauce
Homemade lamb meatballs in a rich tomato curry sauce make for a hearty dinner and are great as leftovers! 
It’s time for Spring Cleaning! The Recipe Redux theme for April had us cleaning out the refrigerator and pantry to use up those ingredients that have been hanging out for a while. We all have those long-forgotten items in the back of the pantry. It’s time to pull them out and put them to use (as long as they’re still safe, of course!). I think most of you will be able to relate to the ingredient I uncovered in my pantry–saltine crackers.
Here’s what happens: 1) you get a cold or the flu during the winter months and buy a giant box of saltine crackers to go along with all the chicken noodle soup you’ll be eating 2) you get off the soup and cracker diet once feeling better and forget about that giant box of crackers 3) months later, the ancient crackers are discovered.
Sound familiar? I only eat saltine crackers when I’m not feeling well, so I tend to look past them at all other times. But not this time! This year, my saltine crackers have more purpose than just being paired with soup. It’s time to make some meatballs!
On a recent trip to Chattanooga, I had a tapas dish of lamb meatballs in a tomato curry sauce that was absolutely heavenly, so it was my goal to recreate it to the best of my ability. If you enjoy Indian food, this recipe is for you. The tomato sauce is rich and full of flavor, and ground lamb has become one of my new favorite meats to cook with. I’m very pleased with how this recipe turned out and think it’s pretty close to the Tupelo Honey Cafe recipe! 
Ingredients
For Meatballs:
- 1 pound ground lamb
- 1 large egg
- 6 saltine crackers crushed
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Garam masala
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
For Tomato Curry Sauce:
- 1-14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes
- 1/2 cup diced onion
- 3 ounces tomato paste
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1 tablespoon curry powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Garam masala
- 4 ounces vegetable broth
- 2 ounces Feta cheese
Instructions
- 1. In a mixing bowl, combine all of the ingredients for the meatballs until evenly mixed. Shape meat into 2-inch meatballs. You can place meatballs on a parchment-lined baking sheet if desired so they can easily be moved from one work surface to another.
- 2. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and once hot, add meatballs. Leave an inch in between meatballs while cooking--you may need to cook them in two batches. Roll meatballs around with a fork until each side is browned. Remove meatballs from pan and place on a cooling rack lined with paper towels to remove grease. Drain cooking grease from skillet.
- 3. Place meatballs back in skillet and add the tomato curry sauce ingredients. Turn heat to low and cook meatballs in the sauce for 30 minutes, or until meatballs are no longer pink in the middle. Meatballs should be covered at least halfway with sauce while cooking; if more liquid is needed, add additional vegetable broth
- 4. Preheat oven broiler. Place meatballs and tomato sauce in a small casserole dish and top with feta cheese. Place dish under broiler and allow cheese to brown slightly.
- 5. Serve with baked naan bread!
Want to see what treasures other Recipe Redux members found in their kitchens? See more recipes by clicking the blue frog below!
I can totally relate to having giant boxes of saltines that I only eat when I don’t feel good. I love the idea of using them in meatballs, and lamb is one of my all time favorites! Looks amazing!
Thanks Katy! Glad you could relate to the saltine cracker dilemma:)