Recipes

Berbere Meatball Stew

Serves 4

| Prep Time: 10 mins

| Cook Time: 40 mins

| Total Time: 50 mins

You may need: Berbere

Discover The Recipe

Robust, comforting, pleasantly spicy and bursting with flavor, berbere meatball stew embodies the rich and savory flavors found in the Horn of Africa. This recipe is built around berbere, a vitally important spice blend found throughout the region. Thought to have originated around the 5th century when Ethiopia controlled Red Sea access to the Silk Road spice trading route, berbere blends evolved as spices from Asia circulated into East African markets and kitchens. Berbere spice blends vary by region and even by family - from searingly hot to tart and earthy. It’s used in everything from grilled meats to salad dressings, and is outstanding in stews.

Our berbere meatball stew recipe uses our proprietary Piquant Post Berbere in two applications: once to season the meatballs, and once to season the stew itself. Cayenne pepper and fresh ground chilis pack a punch of heat upfront while enticing hints of cardamom, cinnamon and clove provide a warming, slightly sweet contrast. Tied together with bitter maple notes from fenugreek and aromatics from coriander and onion, our berbere deeply infuses your dish with flavor. The meatballs are par-cooked in the oven, while the stew is built with onions and garlic for aromatics, then rounded out with stock, tomato and chickpeas for a hearty base. Couscous is added halfway through cooking, then the stew is finished off with a healthy amount of spinach and the par-cooked meatballs. Delicious, nutritious and deceptively simple, berbere meatball stew is the perfect recipe for a hassle free meal.

Ingredients

Berbere Meatballs:
1 lb ground beef (85% lean /15% fat)
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp Piquant Post Berbere spice
1 egg
½ cup breadcrumbs
Berbere Meatball Stew:
2 Tbsp olive oil
½ onion
2 garlic cloves
1 Tbsp Piquant Post Berbere spice
3-4 vine ripened tomatoes (or 15oz can crushed tomatoes)
1 cup stock
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
½ cup pearl couscous (regular couscous is fine)
2 handfuls spinach

Notes

We recommend mixing the meatballs by hand to combine well. When rolling into meatballs, lightly oil your hands to prevent the mixture from sticking.

Review the specific couscous cooking instructions. We used a medium size couscous that needed 15 minutes total of cook time.

Optional ingredients add a little character and flavor but don’t sweat it if you don’t have them.

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, combine all the ingredients for the meatballs. Use your hands to mix well. Form meatballs by rolling between palms, makes 12 meatballs. Bake for 10 mins.

In a large skillet, heat olive oil over Med-High heat. Sauté onions for 3-4 mins. Add garlic and Piquant Post Berbere spice, sauté for 1 minute, until fragrant. Add tomatoes, stock and chickpeas. Cover and simmer for 5 mins.

Stir in couscous, simmer for 10 mins. Stir in meatballs and spinach, simmer uncovered for another 5 mins.

Serve in bowls with pita bread or hot crusty bread.

Alternatives & Substitutions

You can use Ethiopian Berbere in endless ways. Try it in soups, stews, on meats, sprinkle on french fries or sweet potato fries, use as a dry rub on grilled chicken or baby back ribs, or toss with vegetables and olive oil before oven roasting.
Substitute the ground beef for ground turkey or ground chicken.
Try using Berbere in our Eritrean Beef Zigni, or our flavorful Ethiopian Chicken with Lentils.
For Vegetarians, try this refreshing Tanzanian Spicy Slaw, Lentil Mushroom Salad with Berbere Lemon Vinaigrette, or a lovely vegan Berbere Braised Sweet Potato.
For additional options, try this comforting Berbere Chicken Curry or Misr Wot, an Ethiopian Lentil Stew.
Be sure to leave comments and feedback on your meals and experiments in the comments for others to read.
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