Moroccan Kefta Mkaoura (+ Low Fodmap Recipe)

This 🪴 Evergreen post was crafted on April 5, 2021 here at meander.co.nz ( & last updated August 21st, 2021)

Kefta mkaoura is found just about everywhere in Morocco. Known by many as Moroccan meatballs, It’s a staple tagine and the fragrance wafts from rooftops across Marrakesh.

It’s served bubbling with a film of tasty oils rising to the top, lava hot cinnamon-fringed tomato sauce bathing just-poached eggs and spiced meatballs ranging in size from a small cherry up to a golf ball.

I ate this frequently throughout my time spent in Marrakesh – watching intently as the sizzling hot tagines were pieced together. Knowing that next time I had my own kitchen, this would be one of my first recipes to craft.

I worked on this recipe during the covid-19 lockdown, while following a low fodmap elimination diet – which made this recipe a particular challenge!

Served with soft, fresh Khobz (Moroccan bread) for dunking – think bold, tart, tomatoes rounded off with wafts of spices and a meaty bite to finish.

A quick Q&A :

Can I cook Kefta Mkaoura without a tagine?

Absolutely! A tagine is a very cool piece of equipment to keep in your kitchen, but it’s by no means a necessity.
Any deep frying pan with a well fitting lid will do the trick! You’ll still get all the wonderful Moroccan flavours, and it’s well worth giving it a go with whatever you have.

Which meat would be best for Kefta Mkaoura?

A blend of ground beef + lamb would be excellent! But either of the two works. Lamb or goat is a very typical flavour in Moroccan food, so goes very well. Many Moroccans don’t eat pork due to their faith, so it’s unlikely you’d see pork showing up in this recipe.

How could Moroccan meatballs be made vegetarian?

You don’t have to eat meat to enjoy this! There are a number of excellent vegetarian and vegan ‘meat’ ball recipes out there using chickpeas, lentils, or meat replacements. Just be mindful if you’re following a fodmap diet to find a recipe without onions and garlic.

What to serve with moroccan meatballs

Typically, some good Moroccan bread – also known locally as khobz. Outside of Morocco many people might serve Moroccan meatballs on a bed of Couscous, however, in Morocco Couscous is more usually a meal in itself instead of a side dish! If you went to a typical Moroccan restaurant you would enjoy your tagine with a plate of bread and a pot of mint tea.

Is Kefta Mkaoura gluten free?

Yes, absolutely. If you make it using this recipe it is, anyhow. However, many people do put breadcrumbs into their meatballs so be cautious if you’re eating out. For a gluten free and low fodmap side dish, I recommend investigating the totally underrated grain millet. It cooks a lot like quinoa, and makes a tasty side.

A note about fodmaps in this recipe:

Don’t know what a low fodmap diet is? You can read up about it here

Garlic & Onions: Aren’t allowed through the elimination phase, so I left them out of this recipe. Instead, I used chives & garlic oil to create a similar flavour profile. If you’re not sensitive to fructans, or on some crazy diet like I am, feel free to sub back in crushed garlic and onions in the beginning stage of heating the oil.

Peppers: Green peppers go really well here, but red have less fodmaps. Per serving, its okay to eat up to 1/4 of a medium red capsicum/pepper, but only 1/2 a cup of green. So either go with red, or reduce your quantities of green pepper down to one cup max if you are following a low fodmap diet.

dbf ea a deaadf c — Mix all the kefta ingredients together with your hands

adf aa edda c — Mix all the kefta ingredients together with your hands

Moroccan Kefta Mkaoura (Low Fodmap)

A signature dish in Morocco, with a fodmap friendly twist. Kefta mkaoura is made up of cherry-sized fragrant meatballs in a spiced tomato sauce. Think bold, tart, tomatoes rounded off with wafts of cinnamon and finished with poached egg.

For the Kefta (Meatballs)

500 grams minced beef (minced lamb, or a blend of the two.)
2 tbsp fresh parsley (chopped)
3 tbsp fresh coriander (chopped)
1 tsp paprika (smoked)
1 tsp cumin (ground)
1½ tsp salt (sea salt or kosher – preferably not iodised)
½ tsp tumeric (ground)
½ tsp cinnamon (ground)
1 tbs finely diced chives ((substitute with onion if your not fructan sensitive))

For the Sauce

¼ cup olive oil
1 kg fresh tomatoes ((or the equivalent in cans, if it’s what you have available))
1 small red capsicum, diced ((green will work well too if you’re not on a low-fodmap diet))
2 tablespoons garlic oil ((for non-fodmap dieters you can use 4 cloves of garlic instead))
2 tablespoons smoked paprika
2 tablespoons cumin (ground)
½ tsp salt (or more, to taste)
½ tsp pepper
½ tsp chilli powder
2 leaves bay leaves
2 tbsp parsley (chopped)
2 tbsp coriander (chopped)

To finish

4 eggs
1 handful olives (whole)

Make the kefta (meatballs)

Combine all of the ingredients from the kefta section (ground meat, herbs & spirces) into a bowl and mix with your hands until it’s well combined
Take portions of the meat and roll into meatballs, the size is up to you. Traditionally, the keftas would be around the size of a small marble.

Make the sauce

If working with fresh tomatoes, use a cheese grater to grate them to a pulp, discarding the skin.
Place your tagine base, or pan, over a medium to low heat with the oil. Once heated, sauté the diced capsicum and onion for several minutes, before adding the garlic for just 1-2 minutes more.
Add your tomatoes, and stir in all the herbs and spices. Bring to a simmer, then cover and cook until the tomatoes cook down and the sauce thickens, for around 45 minutes, checking every 10-15 mins or so to give it a stir and mash the tomatoes down with the back of your stirring spoon, and adding water if necessary.
When the sauce is thick enough, give it a taste and adjust seasoning as desired. Now, add the meatballs, cover and continue to cook until the meatballs are cooked through for a further 10 mins

Put it all together

5 minutes before serving, add the olives into the sauce to allow them to warm through, placing them gently between the koftas.
Once the olives are added, carefully crack the eggs over top (careful not to burst the yolks!) and cover the tagine or pan for the final cooking minutes. Cook until the eggs are set (but not overdone)

Add the finishing touches

Traditionally served with Khobz (Moroccan bread) for dunking, but if you prefer (or if you’re on a fodmap elimination diet as I was at the time of writing) you can eat these over some moroccan spiced millet

Main Course

Moroccan

GlutenFreeDiet, LowLactoseDiet

Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Low Fodmap, North African

Moroccan Kefta Mkaoura