Spicy Moroccan Style Meatballs With Whole Wheat Spaghetti!

This is one of my favorite recipes, my interpretation of something I once saw in a Moroccan cookbook. It's one of those recipes that turns out great regardless of whether you have exactly all the ingredients. So give it a try, and it just might become a favorite in your house too!

Ingredients:

Serves 8-10 (3 meatballs each)

For meat balls:

• 500g ground meat
• 500g ground chicken or turkey
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup (or more) instant oatmeal (or breadcrumbs)
• 1 large onion
• 1 tblsp of each of the following: paprika,cumin, turmeric, ginger, cinnamon
• 2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro or parsley finely chopped(optional)
• optional: you can easily hide a cup of grated zucchini in these meatballs if needed!
• optional: stretch the quantity by adding some grated potato and more oatmeal with another egg.

For Sauce:

• 1 cup tomato paste, or less paste and more tomatoes
• 5-6 cloves garlic chopped
• 1 peeled tomato
• 1 red pepper chopped
• 1 tblsp of each of following: paprika, turmeric, cinnamon
• a dash of salt and pepper

Directions:

Make sauce first, so it has time to cook while you assemble the meatball mixture. Saute garlic and add additional ingredients to pot. Add water to make slightly thick sauce. Bring to boil and simmer, adding more water if necessary

For meat balls, assemble all the ingredients and mix thoroughly, it's easiest to mix with clean hands! You can make this mixture ahead of time and refrigerate for a few hours if necessary. Once sauce has cooked for at least 15-20 minutes start rolling meat balls and placing them into boiling sauce. Cook for one hour, turning if necessary. I recommend using a very wide low pot for this such that the meatballs cook in the pot in one layer. This prevents meatballs from falling apart if for some reason the mixture isn't dense enough, and you'll have a nice thick sauce to serve with the meatballs, rather than having to cook them in a soup like liquid.

These meatballs freeze wonderfully, and this recipe might be enough for two meals depending on the size of your family, and how much of these they gobble up. Plus, they are delicious cold in a sandwich!

A note about whole wheat spaghetti: It's really quite delicious! Get rid of the white altogether and your kids will adjust, believe me, especially when you serve it with something with lots of sauce.  And Mom,  you'll feel so much better knowing that they're eating something much healthier, especially for those picky eaters who only want plain spaghetti!