Middle Eastern Meatballs with Jewelled Quinoa

Middle Eastern Meatballs with Jewelled Quinoa

Give shakshuka a shake up, making yours with juicy grass-fed British beef meatballs. Spoon the lot over British quinoa – studded with sweet dried apricots and lemon zest – then sprinkle with fresh coriander.

Prep in 10 High protein 1/3 daily fibre 5 of 5 a day Low sat fat

Serving size

Cook time: 30 mins
Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Food group: Beef
Allergens: Sulphites
Smiling woman in a kitchen holding an open Mindful Chef delivery box filled with fresh vegetables.

Getting hungry?

Find 56 recipes a week just like this one at Mindful Chef, that are all:

Delicious, high quality food - and lots of it
No stodgy refined carbs - no food comas here
Goodness from natural food - full of fibre
Explore this week's menu

Cooking Instructions

The protein cooking time listed in this recipe has been updated.

As of December 2025, we’ve revised cooking times for all our proteins to reflect improved food safety guidance.

Check out the latest recommended times in our Cooking Guidelines.

  1. Boil the kettle. Heat a medium saucepan filled with salted boiling water on high heat. Add the quinoa and boil for 13-14 mins, until cooked, then drain. Return to the saucepan and set aside.
  2. Roughly chop the coriander. In a large bowl, mix the beef with half the coriander, half the cumin and a pinch of sea salt and black pepper. With wet hands, shape the mix into 5 meatballs. Heat a large frying pan with 1/2 tsp oil on medium heat. Cook the meatballs for 3-4 mins, turning frequently, until golden brown. Remove from the pan and set aside.
  3. Thinly slice the onion and pepper. Finely chop or crush the garlic. In the same pan, cook the onion and pepper for 5-6 mins, until softened. Stir in the garlic, paprika and remaining cumin. Then, add the chopped tomatoes, meatballs, 100ml water and a pinch of sea salt and black pepper. Simmer for 5 mins. Cover with a lid and simmer for another 5-7 mins, until the beef is cooked through.
  4. Meanwhile, roughly chop half the apricots. Zest the lemon. Stir the apricot, juice and zest from half the lemon and half the remaining coriander through the cooked quinoa. Season with sea salt and black pepper.
  5. Serve the quinoa with the meatball shakshuka. Garnish with the remaining coriander.

Looking for more recipe inspiration?

Subscribe to our newsletter and get delicious seasonal inspiration and recipes, plus 25% off your first 4 boxes with us!

By signing up to our mailing list you agree to the terms of our Privacy Policy.

Mindful Chef

Take a seat at our table.

Food is personal at Mindful Chef. We use cookies and similar technologies to tailor recipes and content to your tastes, just like our delicious weekly menus. We also use this tech to enhance your experience and help our website run smoothly.

You're in charge - accept or reject nonessential cookies, and feel free to change your preferences at any time.

Cookie Policy

Making changes?

Are you sure you want to continue?