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    Home » Precious Kitchen

    PUBLISHED: Apr 5, 2017 · UPDATED: Sep 26, 2018 by Precious · This post may contain affiliate links · 47 Comments

    AFRICAN MEATBALLS

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    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    I should really call these West African and/or Central African meatballs because not all of Africa makes meatballs like this. Now that we have that out of the way... meatballs yummmm. There is something you must do as soon as you make the first batch of these meatballs. You must grab some and fit into your mouth (translation: eat them). And this you must do when these meatballs are still somewhat hot. They are epic in every way.

    west african meatballs_

    Here is the cast of characters for the meatballs:

    ingredients for meatballs

    Some nice ground beef, garlic cloves, egg, seasoning cubes, onions, parsley, breadcrumbs, salt and, white pepper. Now let me tell you something about breadcrumbs: you could substitute with crushed butter crackers. They are amazing!

    All you need to do is chop your parsley, garlic, and onion then dump all the ingredients into a large bowl.

    ingredients for meatballs in bowl

     

    Mix them until they marry completely.

    west african meatballs mixture

    Talking about marriage, I am thrilled by how much yesterday's post inspired you guys to have better marriages. We do not want merely okay marriages just like we do not want merely okay meatballs!

    using ice cream scoop for meatballs

    Okay, I use an ice cream scoop to scoop out portions of the mixture evenly. You could just use your hands and mold into balls directly if you want.

    raw meatballs

    Now heat up some oil and fry away, baby!

    frying meatballs

    The meatballs are ready when they are no longer pink in the middle. They should be brown to the core. Remove them and place on a paper towel.

    This is the point where you should absolutely make out with a meatball or two. They are divine!

    perfect meatballs

    Now, these are amazing but the magic doesn't end there! Chop up ingredients for some tomato sauce.

    west african ingredients for tomato sauce meatballs_

    The key ingredients here are tomatoes, garlic, basil and onions. Then saute, simmer and season to perfection (no worries, all details in recipe below).

    tomato sauce for meatballs_

    It even gets better. Dump your meatballs into this and simmer together.

    west african meatballs in tomato sauce

    Oh my! Who wants some meatballs??

    the best African meatballs

    This could be eaten with:

    • Any boiled pasta of choice - my favourite is spaghetti!
    • Boiled rice.
    • Bread - it will make the perfect sandwich with this milk bread!

    Meatballs, how I love thee!

    meatballs in tomato sauce African style

    Recipe

    Meatballs in Tomato Sauce - West African Style

    These are meatballs made with minced garlic, onion, breadcrumbs, eggs and a hint of white pepper. They are epic in every way. Make them with this tomato sauce to get the whole experience.
    4.75 from 8 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: African
    Prep Time: 30 minutes
    Cook Time: 1 hour
    Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
    Servings: 8 people
    Calories: 296kcal
    Author: Precious

    Ingredients

    Meat Balls

    • 2 pounds ground beef (about 1 kg)
    • 1 large egg
    • ½ cup bread crumbs or crushed butter crackers
    • 3 sprigs parsley - finely chopped
    • ½ medium onion - finely chopped
    • 4 cloves of garlic - minced
    • ½ teaspoon white or black pepper
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 2 small cubes Maggi
    • 1 cup canola oil for frying

    Tomato sauce

    • 2-3 roma tomatoes - chopped or crushed
    • ½ medium onion - chopped
    • 3 cloves of garlic - minced
    • 2 sprigs basil - finely chopped
    • 2 small cubes Maggi
    • Salt
    • 1 15 oz can tomato sauce

    Instructions

    • Put all ingredients for the meatballs into a large bowl and mix until everything is well incorporated.
    • Scoop out the mixture with your hands or with an ice cream scoop then mold into balls. To make the balls easily, wet your hands and repeat as needed.
    • Heat oil in a pan on medium high then put in the meatballs to cook. Turn the sides from time to time for about 10 minutes or until the meatballs are thoroughly cooked. The balls are cooked when they are no longer pink but brown in the middle.
    • Pour out some oil from the pan, leaving some for the sauce. Saute onions until fragrant then add in chopped tomatoes and cook until dehydrated. Add in tomato sauce then cook together stirring from time to time for about 15 minutes.
    • Add in garlic, basil, salt and seasoning cubes (Maggi) then cook together for another 5 minutes. Add water as needed to adjust the consistency of the sauce.
    • Add meatballs to the tomato sauce and stir well making sure the sauce coats the meatballs. Then let them simmer together for another 5 minutes.
    • Go ahead and enjoy your life! Meatballs in tomato sauce could be eaten with any boiled pasta of choice, boiled rice or bread (pssst they make the perfect sandwich filling). Enjoy!

    Notes

    This could be eaten with:
    • Any boiled pasta of choice - my favourite is spaghetti!
    • Boiled rice.
    • Bread - it will make the perfect sandwich with this milk bread!

    Nutrition

    Calories: 296kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 98mg | Sodium: 903mg | Potassium: 435mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 219IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 48mg | Iron: 3mg
    Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @preciouscore or tag #preciouscore!

    Meatballs in tomato sauce - West African styleI'll love to have you follow me on Instagram @preciouscore. If you make this recipe, take a photo and tag me on Instagram. I'll love to see!

     pre-signature-pro

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    About Precious

    Welcome to my core! I am Precious Nkeih, the recipe developer and writer right here on my blog, Precious Core. My goal is to show you insanely delicious recipes you can replicate in your kitchen. And I love to tell stories too. Hope you find recipes here that will make cooking easier for you! Check me out on YouTube at YouTube.com/PreciousKitchen.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Cheechee says

      April 05, 2017 at 10:44 am

      Oh yum!!!!Chai this is life for a meat lover like me.

      http://www.CheecheeLive.com

      Reply
      • Precious says

        April 05, 2017 at 3:41 pm

        Pure life!

        Reply
    2. SoSo 112 says

      April 05, 2017 at 1:02 pm

      These look so gud.I've always wanted to bake them instead of frying.Do you have any idea about that?
      Love the way you play with the words.

      Reply
      • Precious says

        April 05, 2017 at 3:42 pm

        Yes dear, you could definitely bake instead of frying. Just pop into the oven and bake till they are done.

        Reply
    3. Dominika says

      April 05, 2017 at 2:11 pm

      Oh my dear Precious I want some meat balls too mbok.

      Reply
      • Precious says

        April 05, 2017 at 3:46 pm

        Hopefully you get to make some, sweetie.

        Reply
    4. Kwandah T says

      April 07, 2017 at 9:34 am

      These meatballs are amazeballs haha. I would totally choose baking them over deep-frying them so I can form #TeamFit-fam small lol. This may be an ignorant question but pray tell; would baking make them firm enough like when deep-fried, so they do not 'scatter' in the sauce? Your food photography skills worry, no be small!

      Reply
      • Precious says

        April 07, 2017 at 5:04 pm

        Hahaha try form #Teamfitfam small. I'm sure they will hold well when baked. But I'ved never baked them before. So I would say add one more egg just to be sure.

        Reply
    5. D says

      April 09, 2017 at 11:25 pm

      Hmmmmm. can i count the times i check recipes here....
      am having a jolly ride. From Ice creams to cakes to Up lifting pork. i must say i always didnt like the smell of pork but when i tried your recipe here, my God.....you could hear the singing, the rewarding empty plates. chai...

      Reply
      • Precious says

        April 10, 2017 at 10:02 am

        Awwww D, this makes me so happy!
        Keep enjoying the jolly ride!
        Thanks for letting me know.

        Reply
    6. Bola says

      April 11, 2017 at 1:52 am

      Why did I open this post this early morning!
      Precious why did you do this to me?
      Very yummy looking recipe, I want! I'm making when my kids come back from hols break.
      My PMAMA, good job.

      Reply
      • Precious says

        April 11, 2017 at 8:46 pm

        Lol sorry dear! I'm sure your kids will enjoy it. My daughter said, "this is the best meal I ever had!" They had it with boiled spaghetti. Nice to "see" you, dear.

        Reply
    7. Longchi theresia says

      June 11, 2017 at 7:24 am

      Wonderful, I thought all this meet food could difficult to prepare but thanks to u,I can now do mine in my kitchen

      Reply
    8. limablack says

      June 12, 2017 at 1:57 am

      u are great sis.my best moment is kitchen too keep it up

      Reply
    9. Illonda McCants says

      June 17, 2017 at 11:03 pm

      Maggi has alot of cubes is this a chicken or beef I love the recipe. Want to use the same cube you are using

      Reply
      • Precious says

        June 18, 2017 at 1:20 am

        Hi Illonda, the Maggi cube I use is neither chicken nor beef. It is smaller in size than the flavoured ones. You can buy it from the African isle in Asian stores or you could substitute with a teaspoon of chicken bouillon powder - and your meatballs will still taste great! Hope this helps.

        Reply
    10. chu melvis says

      July 06, 2017 at 9:47 am

      thanks i have been wondering how this is been done but today i got it and am going for it ..thanks again

      Reply
      • Precious says

        July 06, 2017 at 8:38 pm

        You are welcome, Melvis!

        Reply
    11. bertille vanessa says

      August 01, 2017 at 6:16 am

      bonjour precious porrquoi les miennes s'ecrasent toujours?

      Reply
      • Precious says

        August 02, 2017 at 10:05 pm

        Hi Bertille, please follow my exact measurements for best results.

        Reply
    12. Patience says

      September 12, 2017 at 10:53 am

      Wow I love meatballs but never tried doing it myself thanks for the recipe it will guide me do mine.Its so awesome!!!!

      Reply
      • Precious says

        September 12, 2017 at 10:04 pm

        Awww you are welcome, dear Patience.

        Reply
    13. Glory Oluchi says

      September 12, 2017 at 11:00 am

      Thanks dear aleast i hv learnt sumtin 4rm u free of charge . I hope when am going to do mine it will be perfect like ur own meatballs.

      Reply
      • Precious says

        September 12, 2017 at 10:05 pm

        I hope so too Glory. Just follow my exact instructions and you should be fine. Please let me know how it goes.

        Reply
    14. Christine says

      September 14, 2017 at 1:18 am

      Thanks for your delicious meal. It comes with a great relief. I appreciate it so much.

      Reply
      • Precious says

        October 08, 2017 at 10:05 pm

        You are welcome, Christine!

        Reply
    15. Obakeng Machaka says

      October 07, 2017 at 3:44 pm

      Looks nice & Yummy i like meatballs i am going 2 try this receipe tnx.

      Reply
      • Precious says

        October 08, 2017 at 10:05 pm

        You are most welcome.

        Reply
    16. Annie says

      October 24, 2017 at 8:00 am

      Hey dear I’m so gonna do this one of these days! Looks so yum 😋

      Reply
      • Precious says

        October 25, 2017 at 4:43 pm

        Please let me know how it goes, dear. Enjoy!

        Reply
    17. Claudine says

      February 20, 2018 at 6:15 am

      Hi Pre,
      i just made the meatballs sauce with rice...phew i'm relieved. Was so scared that the balls may scatter in the sauce. I'm off work today. Hubby is off work too and i just wanted something i had never done. Yea 2 servings and a silly smile later, then "love, so nice! hmmm delicious! Please i hope you kept some in the fridge for another day?" lol
      For someone who doesn't like food from the fridge, that was something. Thanks keep it up. You're impacting on us.
      I just need to wait for my girls to come home for Easter holidays and i'll wow them too

      Reply
      • Precious says

        February 23, 2018 at 11:31 pm

        Wow, this makes me so happy, sis Claudine! Hope you kept some in the fridge for your sweetie. Please greet the girls for me. Thanks so much for the feedback and the love and support!

        Reply
    18. Telma Agbor Tabi says

      August 17, 2018 at 1:50 pm

      Your recipes are just as beautiful as you look on that pic if that's you. Really I want to specially thank you. you have thought me many little secrets about many African meals. Thank you again. Lots of love

      Reply
      • Precious says

        August 18, 2018 at 8:25 pm

        Awww, thank you so much, Telma. So glad to inspire you.

        Reply
    19. Lum says

      February 04, 2019 at 10:55 am

      Looks yummy bt Where can i get bread crumbs in bamenda?? Is it d local bread or???

      Reply
      • Precious says

        February 05, 2019 at 6:25 pm

        Hin Lum, you can get breadcrumbs by simply heating up old bread then crushing it into crumbs. Hope this helps.

        Reply
        • Noella says

          August 17, 2019 at 3:58 am

          Perfect. Your recipees are very explicit.

          Reply
    20. James Rumback says

      January 20, 2020 at 5:34 pm

      I followed your recipe for African meatballs and tomato sauce today, delicious. I’m having a meatball sub for lunch tomorrow. This will be my go to meatball recipe from now on.

      Reply
      • Precious says

        January 21, 2020 at 6:33 am

        So happy to hear that, James.

        Reply
    21. Christine says

      February 08, 2022 at 6:01 pm

      I only made half a recipe and I’m kicking myself. The flavor is amazing. My kids loved it. That’s the highest praise right there.

      Reply
      • Precious says

        February 09, 2022 at 4:37 am

        Thank you so much, Christine!

        Reply

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