We eat a lot of Moroccan food in my house and meatballs with rice is an easy one-pot meal to incorporate into my weekly healthy meal plans, using only ground meat, rice and spices. I used chickpeas this time to stretch it a bit since we have a few extra people in the house this week.
Moroccan Meatballs and Saffron Rice
Serves 4-6
INGREDIENTS
1 lb ground beef
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
salt and pepper
1 cup long grain rice
1/3 cup butter
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
4 or 5 saffron threads, crushed (optional)
1/2 tsp turmeric
2 cups chicken stock
2 cups water
DIRECTIONS
- Combine ground beef with the cumin, paprika, 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Shape into small meatballs.
- In a large pan that has a lid melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the onions and garlic and sauté for a few minutes, until the onions and garlic begin to soften. Add the meatballs and brown them on all sides. Push the meatballs to the sides of the pan.
- Add the 1 cup of uncooked rice to the middle of the pan along with the parsley, saffron, turmeric and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper and sauté until rice is coated with butter.
- Add the chicken stock and water. Over medium-high heat, bring the liquids to a simmer. Cover the pan and reduce the heat to low. Simmer the meatballs and rice for 35 to 40 minutes, until most of the liquids are absorbed and the rice is tender. Halfway through cooking, gently turn over the meatballs and stir the rice.
meal two
Turkey Burgers with Mashed White Sweet Potatoes
My kids LOVE this meal! They normally eat the entire serving and there are rarely leftovers. If there are, they are yummy the second day, too.
meal three
Vegetarian Enchilada Bake
I made this often because it’s easy, quick and I can sneak in some veggies that the kids don’t notice since the zucchini is shredded.
meal four
Chicken, Pasta and Alfredo Sauce
My kids ask for this all the time and I happily oblige because it’s so easy and so yummy. You can easily stretch it and have lunch for the next day.
meal five
Tuna and Vegetable Rice Casserole
Tuna is an easy way to sneak protein and omega-3’s into your child’s diet without spending an arm and a leg.
Make sure you check out all of the Moroccan Food Recipes on this site!
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.