Kefta Mkaouara (Moroccan Meatball Tagine)
Kefta Mkaouara is a Moroccan dish made up of tiny meatballs, simmered in a flavorful tomato sauce and crowned with poached eggs.
There is something about making meatballs. Big ones, normal ones, small ones. I don't know what it is, but mashing all the ingredients together, shaping, and cooking them is just so rewarding.
This Moroccan Meatball Tagine is such a fun way to eat meatballs. Here in the States we may be familiar with meatballs in tomato sauce to top our pasta, but this is a whole new side of meatballs and tomatoes that you have never seen before!
Kefta Mkaouara: Moroccan Meatballs
These meatballs do not use eggs or breadcrumbs as a binder, meaning that they are simply robust, meaty chunks in our aromatic, stewed tomatoes.
This dish is incredibly flavorful and savory. Some like it spicy, others prefer to go lighter on the heat. Feel free to adjust the cayenne pepper to your spice preference. We found that ⅛ teaspoon gives just a hint of spice that doesn't linger.
Don't forget to serve this dish with a warm flatbread to scoop up all the tomato goodness!
What is a Tagine?
This dish falls under the realm of Moroccan cooking that is typically done in a tagine. A tagine is a cooking vessel used in North African cooking that is made up of a wide base and a cone-shaped top. Tagines are traditionally used for long, slow cooking over hot coals, but the stove top or oven work well too. The shape of the vessel condenses the steam on the inside of the lid, causing it to run back into the ingredients, keeping everything incredibly moist.
If you love North African and Moroccan cooking, a tagine makes a fun addition to your collection of cookware, but if you don't have a tagine, don't worry, because you can still enjoy this tasty dish. We have yet to purchase a tagine, so all of our tagine-style cooking is done in our cast iron skillet or cast iron Dutch oven. We do prefer to use cast iron for these dishes, but whatever you choose, just make sure it has a tight-fitting lid.
Kefta Mkaouara (Moroccan Meatball Tagine)
Ingredients
For the Sauce
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 lbs tomatoes, diced (or 2 -14 oz cans of sodium free diced tomatoes, drained)
- 1½ teaspoon paprika
- 1½ teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne powder (optional)
- 3 Tb fresh parsley, chopped (or 1 tablespoon dry)
For the Kefta (Meatballs)
- 1 lb ground beef, 90% lean
- 1 onion, small, minced
- 3 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped (or 1 tablespoon dry)
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ⅛-1/4 teaspoon cayenne powder (optional)
Finishing It Off
- 4 eggs
Instructions
For the Sauce
- Heat the oil in a large skillet with a lid (preferably cast iron) (or a tagine with a heat diffuser*) over medium high heat. Add the onions and sauté until softened, 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Add the remaining sauce ingredients and bring the mixture to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer, covered, for 10-15 minutes while you prepare the meatballs. (Taste the sauce and adjust salt to your taste preference, if necessary.)
For the Kefta (Meatballs)
- Mix all the Kefta ingredients in a large bowl, mixing with your hands until just combined. Scoop about 1 tablespoon of meat mixture and shape it into a small, 1 inch, ball. Continue until all the meat has been shaped.
- Nestle meatballs in the sauce.** Cover the pan and cook for 30-35 minutes.
Finishing It Off
- Remove lid and, with large spoon, make 4 deep wells in sauce amidst the meatballs. Crack an egg into each well. Return the lid and cook for an additional 10-15 minutes until egg whites are set.
- Serve the dish immediately with flatbread or rice.
Notes
Nutrition
Check out this collection of cultural and culturally-inspired meatballs below from some of our favorite bloggers!
Meatball Appetizers:
- Crab Cake Mini Meatballs with Tartar Sauce from The Texan New Yorker
- Grilled Korean Meatballs from Palatable Pastime
Meatball Soups:
- Russian Meatball Soup from A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures
Main Dish Meatballs:
- Keftedakia (Greek-style Meatballs) from Tramplingrose
- Kofte-Style Lamb Meatballs in a Tomato-Pepper Sauce from Caroline's Cooking
- Persian Lamb Meatballs from Food Lust People Love
- Slow Cooker Spanish Meatballs from The Chef Next Door
- Tajine-el-Khoukh (Algerian Stuffed Peaches) from Culinary Adventures with Camilla
Sarah founded Curious in 2010 as a way to save her recipe creations and share culinary experiences. Her love for cultural cuisines was instilled early by her French Canadian Grandmother. Her experience in the kitchen and in recipe development comes from over 10 years working in professional kitchens. She has traveled extensively and enjoys bringing the flavors of her travels back to create easy-to-make recipes.
Made this for dinner last night and it was awesome. When I told my husband about making this dish he wasn't too interested but he will try anything. He loved it. Very easy to make and I had everything in the kitchen I needed. This is definitely a keeper and will make a great dish for when we have friends over. Very impressive dish.
So glad you enjoyed it!
It took my housemate one bite of this meal to know that I had come upon a winner. Well, to quote Chris Jericho - you just made the list!
By the by, for future reference: what kind of paprika do you recommend be used? Smoked, sweet, or spicy? I myself went with the smoked via perception.
So glad you both enjoyed it! The great thing about paprika is you can vary it depending on your mood/tastes. Typically we use a Hungarian sweet for this dish. But we have been know to use a spicy Spanish when we wanted some extra heat. I don't think we've tried it with a smoked, but we definitely need to!
Love the eggs! The skiilet looks like it turned out to be a great substitute for a tagine!
The skillet does work quite well. It's perfect for cooking tagine dishes if you don't have a tagine!
We made this tonight and it was delicious! The eggs on top were my favorite part.
So glad to hear you enjoyed it Jeff!
Beautiful. And sounds super flavorful!
Thanks Lauren!
I love the flavor profile on these and then the eggs....I'm swooning.
Thanks Wendy!
Boy, is this one fabulous dish! I actually have a tagine---maybe it's time to christen it 🙂
This would be a great first dish for your tagine!
I love using cinnamon in savory dishes like this.
Oh yes! It might seem odd, but it adds great flavor!
Love, love, love the eggs on top!!
The meatballs are great, but the runny eggs might be the best part!
I almost made something like this, these are flavors I love and this looks delicious!
Thanks Caroline. Great minds! 😉
Since I'm obsessed with skillet meals I'll have to give this one a try. Plus I don't think I've ever made a Moroccan dish before!
You guys would love this!
Wow!! That looks so good - I especially love the idea of eggs with meatballs and then serving it all over the top of flatbread. Don't have to ask me twice 🙂
Thanks Sarah! It is such a fun meal!