Grilled Moroccan Meatballs with Yogurt Sauce
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Spice things up with these grilled Moroccan meatballs, seasoned with warm spices and cooled down with a creamy yogurt sauce—every bite is packed with flavor!
I have a late-night habit of scouring the Internet for gently used cookbooks to add to my collection. I always find great buys—books with stunning photography that look like they’ve barely been cracked open. It’s such a treat when they arrive on my doorstep, like a little gift to myself! One of my recent treasures is Curtis Stone’s What’s for Dinner? I’m slowly cooking my way through the book, and this dish has quickly become a family favorite. It comes together in a snap: ground beef mixed with spices, fresh herbs, egg, panko, and garlic, then grilled into succulent meatballs. Served with couscous and a refreshing yogurt-cucumber sauce, it’s a quick, easy, and delicious meal that’s just perfect for a spring or summer night.
“Served these for a dinner party and they were an absolute hit! I doubled the recipe as I knew I had some hearty eaters coming, and I’m glad I did – my guests gobbled them up!”
What You’ll Need To Make Grilled Moroccan Meatballs
- Egg: Acts as a binder to help the meatballs hold their shape.
- Garlic: Adds depth and a pungent flavor to the meatballs.
- Cumin and Allspice: Provide warm, earthy flavors that are characteristic of Moroccan cuisine.
- Fresh Cilantro: Brings a bright, herbal note to the meatballs (can be omitted based on taste preference).
- 85% Lean Ground Beef: Offers a good balance of flavor and fat, making the meatballs juicy.
- Panko: Japanese breadcrumbs that help keep the meatballs light and tender while also acting as a binder.
- Vegetable Oil: Used for grilling, it helps to prevent sticking and adds a slight richness to the exterior of the meatballs.
- Cucumber: Adds a fresh, crisp texture and mild flavor to the sauce.
- Yogurt: Serves as the creamy base of the sauce; choose low-fat for a lighter sauce or whole milk for richer flavor.
- Lemon Juice: Provides acidity, brightening up the sauce and balancing the richness of the yogurt.
- Fresh Dill: Infuses the sauce with a sweet, grassy flavor that pairs well with the other ingredients.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Combine the egg, garlic, cilantro, cumin, allspice, salt and pepper in a medium bowl.
Mix until well combined.
Add the ground beef and panko bread crumbs.
Mix together with your hands until just combined.
Use a 1/3 cup measure to portion out the meat and shape into discs.
Preheat your grill to medium-high heat and grease well. Place the meatballs on the grill and cook for about four minutes per side, until charred and no longer pink in the center. As they cook, the centers will dome slightly, creating nicely shaped meatballs.
Meanwhile, make the yogurt sauce by combining the yogurt, cucumber, lemon juice, fresh dill, salt, and pepper in a small bowl.
Mix to combine.
Serve the meatballs over couscous, topped with the yogurt sauce.
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Grilled Moroccan Meatballs with Yogurt Sauce
Spice things up with these grilled Moroccan meatballs, seasoned with warm spices and cooled down with a creamy yogurt sauce—every bite is packed with flavor!
Ingredients
For the Meatballs
- 1 large egg
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground allspice
- ¼ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
- 1¼ teaspoons kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1¼ pounds 85% lean ground beef
- ⅓ cup panko
- Vegetable oil, for grilling
For the Yogurt Sauce
- ½ cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded and finely diced
- 1 cup plain low-fat or whole milk Greek yogurt (do not use non-fat)
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, from one lemon
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
- ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
For the Meatballs
- Preheat the grill to medium-high heat (about 500 degrees).
- Mix together the egg, garlic, cumin, allspice, cilantro, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Add the ground beef and panko and mix with your hands until well combined.
- Using a ⅓ cup measure, form 8 disc-shaped meatballs. (They will dome slightly on the grill, forming nicely rounded meatballs.)
- Lightly dip a wad of paper towels in vegetable oil and, using tongs, carefully rub over the grates several times until glossy and coated. Grill the meatballs, covered, for about 4 minutes per side, or until they are nicely browned on the exterior and no longer pink in the center. Transfer the meatballs to a serving plate and let rest for 3 minutes. Serve with the yogurt sauce and couscous, if desired.
For the Yogurt Sauce
- Combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl and mix well. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The meatballs can be frozen for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to serve them, reheat them tightly covered in a 300°F oven, until hot in the center.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (4 servings)
- Calories: 418
- Fat: 27g
- Saturated fat: 9g
- Carbohydrates: 9g
- Sugar: 3g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 34g
- Sodium: 1028mg
- Cholesterol: 152mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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I made this for dinner tonight and it was delicious! I cut the allspice back to 3/4 tsp. because we’re not huge allspice fans. The cilantro is a must, in my opinion. I did add about 1/4 tsp. of cayenne to the meatball mixture because we like things spicy. I cooked the meatballs on a gas grill set to medium high for 4 minutes per side, and felt that they were slightly overcooked. I’ll try about 3 minutes per side next time. Perhaps my grill runs a little hot. I absolutely love your recipes! They are interesting and fun, but don’t require lots of time or hard-to-find ingredients. Thanks!
Made this tonight with half lamb and half beef. Absolutely delicious. Served the meatballs on a flatbread drizzled with Harissa sauce and your yoghurt dressing and fresh baby leaves. Great recipe!
Would your delicious Moroccan Carrot and Chickpea salad pair well with this?
Also, you ad recommended a cucumber, tomato and red pepper with lemon and olive oil, would adding feta ruin the pairing?
Basically I’m looking for more salad type options for this. Thank you in advance. I’m making your fajitas tonite, and I’m sure I won’t be disappointed. Everything here is delicious.
Hi Karen, Yes, I think the carrot salad would be wonderful with this. And feta on the other salad would work well too. Hope you enjoyed the fajitas!
They were amazing! Everything here is amazing!
Oh, and thank you for answering my questions. 🙂
This is one of my top 5 recipes! I made it exactly as written and it turns out perfectly every time. I have even baked them and they come out great. Great meal for company! I always serve with a double serving of the sauce since I pour it on the couscous as well.
I made these for dinner last night along with your Thai Quinoa Salad with Lime Vinaigrette and my husband actually applauded after dinner. 🙂 I doubled the meatball recipe and used half beef (can’t remember the percentage) and half ground turkey because it’s what I had in the freezer and it was amazing. The allspice really came through (in a good way!) and the yogurt sauce was perfect with the meatballs. We are going to try stuffing meatballs, yogurt sauce, and quinoa salad in a pita next and make a pretend gyro. 🙂 Love, love, LOVE this recipe.
I hate to be the lone voice of dissent, but I was really underwhelmed by this recipe.
I prepared it exactly as written but did not include the optional cilantro as I’m not a fan. The spices smelled so interesting as I mixed them, and I was looking forward to tasting how the whole meal came together.
However, when I tasted the meatballs, all I tasted was beef….I didn’t taste a single spice, so that was a HUGE letdown.
I also didn’t like the consistency of the sauce…too watery for my preference. In my tzatziki recipe, I dice the cucumber, and then salt it and leave it to drain in a sieve for an hour.
I did enjoy the taste of the sauce on the meatballs….but was missing the nuance from the spices that I anticipated. It tasted fine…nothing I’d make again, but it also wasn’t unbearable to eat.
Without the cilantro it would lose its wow factor. Maybe try another herb you do like?
I make these with ground turkey and the seasonings are much more center stage. I tried them once with beef and I agree, they just tasted like beef! I sub turkey on many ground beef recipes because it allows the flavor to stand out plus, less fat.
This was so yummie. My 1.5 year old loved the meatballs. I added some extra wheat germ and used regular bread crumbs because I did’t have panko and it still tasted great. Also I don’t have a grill and so I baked it in the oven instead. The yogurt dill sauce was great as well. I just added carrots for some extra veggie.
Yet another great recipe and quite easy.
Very delicious with just the right balance of flavors. Can’t wait to make it again!
This was a fabulous dinner. I have a 4 and 8 year old who NEVER eat dinner. This was a huge hit! I even had them helping me in the kitchen. I used 93% ground sirloin and it was so moist. Yum!
Jenn never fails me or my family! My 17 year old son grilled the Moroccan meatballs, and my daughter made the couscous. She also helped me with the yogurt sauce, which tasted like tzatziki. We worked as a team and the recipe was truly terrific. “Mom, this tastes like the food at Greek Wraps (local restaurant where we live). We love that restaurant! The only sad part was my husband was out of town on business.
Thanks Jenn!