Little Lamb Meatballs in a Spicy Eggplant Tomato Sauce

Recipe View Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

Recipe View In a large skillet over medium-high heat, combine the cubed eggplant, olive oil, salt, and black pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the eggplant begins to soften (approximately 5 minutes).

Recipe View Stir in 1/3 cup of finely minced onion and the crushed red pepper flakes. Reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened and translucent (approximately 4 minutes). Stir in the chicken broth and marinara sauce. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer gently until the sauce mixture has reduced by about half (approximately 30 minutes).

Recipe View While the sauce simmers, prepare the meatballs. In a large bowl, whisk together the bread crumbs, egg, and Greek yogurt until the bread crumbs have absorbed all the liquid (approximately 3 minutes). Mix in the remaining 1/4 cup of finely minced onion, minced garlic, kosher salt, black pepper, cumin, cinnamon, and coriander until well combined. Crumble in the ground lamb and sprinkle with cayenne pepper; mix gently but thoroughly.

Recipe View Form the lamb mixture into small, bite-sized meatballs and transfer them to the prepared baking sheet.

Recipe View Bake in the preheated oven until the meatballs are browned on the outside but still slightly pink inside (approximately 10 minutes).

Recipe View Remove the meatballs from the oven and gently stir them into the simmering sauce. Simmer over low heat until the sauce begins to thicken and the meatballs are cooked through (approximately 30 to 45 minutes). An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of a meatball should read 160 degrees F (72 degrees C).

Recipe View Garnish the meatballs and sauce with fresh mint before serving. Enjoy this delightful explosion of flavors!