A mouth-watering tomato basil meatball stew! Definitely an Assyrian Kitchen favorite. This hearty dish can be made with rice or bulgur wheat. 

 

Ingredients 
 

Meatballs

1 cup jasmine rice

2 lb. ground beef or lamb

½ cup onions, diced

¼ cup fresh basil or 1 tbsp dry basil

½ cup chopped parsley

1 T. kosher salt

1 tsp. curry powder

1 T. black pepper

1 tsp allspice
 

Stew

¼ cup of vegetable oil

¼ cup of the fresh basil or tbsp dry basil

½ cup onions, diced

2 T. paprika

6 oz. can tomato paste

8 oz. tomato sauce

1 T. kosher salt

1/4 cup jasmine rice

10 cups of water

 

Method 
 

Meatballs: Pour 2 cups of water over the rice and allow to soak for 30 minutes. Mix the remaining meatball ingredients. Remove 1/4 cup of rice and add to the meatball mixture. Set the remaining rice and liquid aside to use in the soup. Knead the meatball mixture with your hands and form into 8 large meatballs. Set aside.

 

Stew: Add oil, onion, and paprika to a 5 qt. Dutch oven. Fry the onions over medium

heat, until they are soft. Add tomato paste and the remaining rice, including the water it

has been soaking in, to the onions. Add 4 additional cups of water, basil and salt and

bring it all to a boil. Carefully drop the meatballs into the soup. Cover and cook, over low

heat, for 30 minutes, or until the rice inside of the meatballs are fully cooked.

 

Variation

You can substitute cracked wheat for rice.