Lamb Koftes get the traybake treatment in this delicious Lamb Kofte Meatball Traybake! Delicious lamb meatballs baked in one tray with roasted peppers and onions make a simple but flavour-packed one pan meal. Easy enough for a weeknight, but delicious enough for a weekend treat!
The traybake queen strikes again!
If you’ve been following me for a while, you will know that I am borderline OBSESSED with traybakes. They are hands-down one of my favourite ways to cook, because they are so EASY and they make food taste extra DELICIOUS and there is so little washing up – WIN-WIN-WIN! (I love traybakes so much that many people have called me the Traybake Queen over the years – an accolade I am more than happy to accept!)
It occurred to me recently that lamb koftes would make a brilliant traybake. So I have taken my ever-popular lamb kofte mix and turned it into a traybake, together with peppers and onions – two veggies that are extra delicious when roasted! (For that reason, they feature in nearly all my traybakes!) To make the lamb koftes traybake-friendly I have shaped the mixture into meatballs, and voila – all the deliciousness of lamb koftes but with all the convenience of a traybake.
I’ve made this traybake for several dinner parties lately and it always goes down a storm!
How to make Lamb Kofte Meatball Traybake
This Lamb Kofte Meatball Traybake really is super simple to make.
All you need to do is mix together the kofte ingredients, then shape into meatballs and place in a roasting pan together with some sliced peppers, onion wedges, a little olive oil and some salt and pepper.
Roast for 15 minutes then remove the tray from the oven, remove the meatballs, give the veggies a good stir, and put the meatballs back on the tray the other way up. (So they get nicely browned on both sides.)
Place the pan back in the oven and roast for a further 15 minutes – and you are done!
(Full recipe given in the recipe card below.)
What to serve with Lamb Kofte Meatball Traybake
For a quick and simple midweek meal, this Lamb Kofte Meatball Traybake is delicious served with flatbreads or pittas. If you want to turn it into a bigger meal, add a simple Greek salad and some delicious homemade tzatziki.
Alternatively, you can serve this traybake as part of a larger spread with lots of other mezze-inspired dishes, such as:
- Easy Peasy Hummus
- Tabbouleh
- Oven Baked Chicken Shawarma
- Baharat Roasted Sweet Potato Cubes
- Easy Oven Baked Falafel
- Fruity Couscous Salad
What to drink with Lamb Kofte Meatball Traybake
Lamb koftes work well with robust reds, such as Côtes du Rhone, Languedoc reds, Australian Shiraz and Rioja Crianza.
What to do with leftover Lamb Kofte Meatball Traybake
The leftovers are just as delicious hot or cold – they would make a delicious packed lunch the next day, especially if you also have some leftover flatbreads and/or taztziki!
Place any leftover Lamb Kofte Meatball Traybake in an airtight container and pop it into the fridge, where it will keep for up to 3 days.
Either eat cold or reheat.
To reheat, place the leftovers on a baking tray and place in a cold oven. Turn the oven on to 180C (160C fan / gas mark 4 / 350F) and cook the leftovers for 10-15 minutes, or until the meatballs are piping hot all the way through.
Can you freeze Lamb Kofte Meatball Traybake
Absolutely! Simply cool to room temperature and place it in a freezer-safe container.
Pop the Lamb Kofte Meatball Traybake into the freezer, where it will keep for up to 1 month.
Defrost overnight in the fridge, then either eat cold or reheat as above.
If you like this recipe…
…you might also like:
- Easy Lamb Kofte Burgers
- Lamb, Feta and Mint burgers
- Moroccan Lamb Traybake
- Warm Lamb and Halloumi Rice Salad
- Lamb Stuffed Aubergines with Mint, Feta and Pomegranate Seeds
Lamb Stuffed Aubergines
Lamb Kofte Meatball Traybake
Ingredients
Lamb Kofte Meatballs:
- 500 g lamb mince
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon chilli flakes (or to taste)
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped finely
- 1 tablespoon fresh mint chopped finely
- 3 garlic cloves grated or crushed
- 25 g pistachio kernels chopped finely or bashed in a pestle and mortar
- Salt and pepper (to taste)
- Juice of half a lemon
- 2 tablespoons plain flour
- 1 medium egg beaten
Vegetables:
- 3 (bell) peppers sliced (I use 2 red and 1 yellow pepper)
- 2 red onions each one peeled and cut into 8 wedges
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Salt and pepper (to taste)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 220C / 200C fan / gas mark 7 / 425F.
- Place all the ingredients for the kofte meatballs in a large bowl and mix well. (I find using your hands works best.) Set aside.
- Place the sliced peppers and onion wedges on a roasting pan / sheet pan. The pan should be big enough to ensure all the veggies are in a single layer with a bit of room. (If the pan is too small, the veggies won’t roast properly!)
- Drizzle over the olive oil and sprinkle over a little salt and pepper. Turn the veggies to ensure they are evenly coated (I find it easiest to do this with my hands, but you can use a large spoon if you prefer.) Then rearrange the veggies back into a single layer.
- Roll the kofte meatball mixture into small balls – they should be a little smaller than golfball size. (You should be able to get 20 balls from this mixture in total.)
- Once rolled into a ball, each meatball should be placed on the roasting pan, in amongst the vegetables in a single layer.
- Place the pan in the oven and roast the meatballs and vegetables for 15 minutes.
- After the 15 minutes, remove the tray from the oven, then remove the meatballs to a plate. Give the veggies a good stir, then rearrange the veggies back into a single layer.
- Place the meatballs back on the tray in amongst the veggies, ensuring they are all turned up the other way (to allow the other side to brown).
- Place the pan back in the oven and roast for a further 15-20 minutes, or until the meatballs are completely cooked all the way through and the vegetables are tinged with brown and roasted to your liking.
- Garnish with fresh coriander, and serve with flatbreads, tzatziki and a side salad.
Notes
- Suitable for freezing.
- Nutrition information is approximate and meant as a guideline only.
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Trini says
Hello Eb,
Your recipe looks great! I was wondering, is it possible to mix all the meatball ingredients and leave them in the fridge overnight, before baking the next day?
Thank you so much.
Trini
Eb Gargano says
Aw, thank you! Yes, that should be fine. You can either just mix up the mixture and shape them into balls the next day, or you can shape them into balls first before refrigerating. Either way, just make sure they are covered (e.g. with cling film or in a lidded container) to prevent them from drying out, and to avoid cross-contamination with other foods. Enjoy – and let me know how you get on! Eb 🙂