Meat, mushrooms and cinnamon? Don’t worry, it’s delish in Middle Eastern Meatballs with Cinnamon Spiced Tomato Sauce https://bit.ly/2mkHLF1. Once you’re hooked on the combo, just remember to use a bit of restraint with the cinnamon in any savoury dish – you want it to be a lovely subtle background note only. #MiddleEast #meatballs #cinnamon

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Makes 18-20 meatballs

Ingredients

225g lean ground beef
225g ground lamb

225g whole Portabellini mushrooms, finely chopped
½ cup cooked bulgur
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 cloves of garlic, grated
2tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1tbsp fresh oregano, finely chopped
½tsp ground cumin
¼tsp allspice
½tsp cinnamon
½tsp red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste
1tbsp olive oil
1 cinnamon stick
500ml tomato pasta sauce

Method

1 In a large bowl, combine the meat, mushrooms, bulgur, egg, garlic, herbs and spices through salt and pepper. Mix well, cover and refrigerate for one hour.
2 Preheat oven to 190°C.
3 Shape the meat mixture into golf ball sized meatballs. Place in an oiled baking dish.
4 Bake the meatballs, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes or until cooked through.
5 While the meatballs are cooking, heat the tomato sauce and cinnamon stick in a small saucepan.
6 Serve meatballs with tomato sauce for dipping