If you like coming home to a big hearty bowl of something, you’ll love this rich, savory stew. It’s got all the classic elements – the tomato broth, the onion/celery/carrot trio, the bite-sized pieces of meat and vegetables – but with a flavor twist from a special spice blend inspired by Moroccan cuisine.
That doesn’t mean you have to go on a wild goose chase all over town to find the ingredients; you should be able to make this with spices you already have in the pantry.
A handful of sweet, juicy raisins thrown into the pot balances out the spice, and you end up with something that tastes new and different even if all the ingredients came out of the daily rotation.
You can use either beef or lamb for the meatballs; if you’re a little nervous about trying lamb, this might be a good first recipe because there’s a lot of other flavor going on; it’s not like you’re sitting down to a big plate of lamb and nothing else.
Try it with some roasted eggplant, maybe sprinkled with just a little bit of paprika: it’s an easy way to stick with the colorful spices without adding much extra prep time.
Moroccan-Style Stew Recipe
SERVES: 4 PREP: 20 min COOK: 2 h
Ingredients
- 2 lb. ground beef or lamb;
- 1 tsp. dried oregano;
- ¼ tsp. ground nutmeg;
- 1 bell pepper, chopped;
- 2 carrots, diced;
- 2 ribs celery, diced;
- 1 red onion, diced;
- 2 cups diced tomatoes;
- 4 garlic cloves, minced;
- ½ cup raisins;
- 2 bay leaves;
- 1 red chile, minced;
- Cooking fat;
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper;
Ingredients for the Moroccan-style Spices
- 1 tsp. ground coriander;
- 1 tsp. ground cardamom;
- 1 tsp. turmeric;
- 2 tsp. ground cumin;
- 4 tsp. ground cinnamon;
- ¼ tsp. ground cloves;
- ½ tsp. ground nutmeg;
Preparation
- Preheat your oven to 350 F.
- In a bowl, combine all the ingredients for the Moroccan-style spices.
- Combine the ground beef, dried oregano, nutmeg, and season with salt and pepper to taste, and form into small rough balls.
- Melt some cooking fat in a skillet. Brown the meatballs on all sides, and place them in an oven-safe baking dish or a tagline.
- Melt some more cooking fat in the same skillet and add the garlic, onion, carrot, bell pepper, and celery. Cook until the onion is soft.
- Top the meatballs with the vegetable mixture.
- Pour the diced tomatoes over the meatballs and vegetables. Add the raisins, bay leaves, red chile, and Moroccan spices, and give everything a good stir.
- Cover and cook in the oven for 2 hours. Discard the bay leaves before serving.
📖 Recipe
Moroccan-Style Stew Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 lb. ground beef or lamb
- 1 tsp. dried oregano
- ¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
- 1 bell pepper chopped
- 2 carrots diced
- 2 ribs celery diced
- 1 red onion diced
- 2 cups diced tomatoes
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- ½ cup raisins
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 red chile minced
- Cooking fat
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tsp. ground coriander
- 1 tsp. ground cardamom
- 1 tsp. turmeric
- 2 tsp. ground cumin
- 4 tsp. ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp. ground cloves
- ½ tsp. ground nutmeg
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 F.
- In a bowl, combine all the ingredients for the Moroccan-style spices.1 tsp. ground coriander, 1 tsp. ground cardamom, 1 tsp. turmeric, 4 tsp. ground cinnamon, ¼ tsp. ground cloves, ½ tsp. ground nutmeg, 2 tsp. ground cumin
- Combine the ground beef, dried oregano, nutmeg, and season with salt and pepper to taste, and form into small rough balls.2 lb. ground beef or lamb, 1 tsp. dried oregano, ¼ tsp. ground nutmeg, Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Melt some cooking fat in a skillet. Brown the meatballs on all sides, and place in an oven safe baking dish or a tagine.
- Melt some more cooking fat in the same skillet and add the garlic, onion, carrot, bell pepper, and celery. Cook until the onion is soft.1 bell pepper, 2 carrots, 2 ribs celery, 1 red onion, 4 garlic cloves, Cooking fat
- Top the meatballs with the vegetable mixture.
- Pour the diced tomatoes over the meatballs and vegetables. Add the raisins, bay leaves, red chile and the Moroccan spices, and give everything a good stir.2 cups diced tomatoes, ½ cup raisins, 2 bay leaves, 1 red chile
- Cover and cook in the oven for 2 hours. Discard the bay leaves before serving.
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