Spiced lamb meatballs subtly sweetened with raisins sit atop fragrant, yellow-hued jeweled rice with pops of pomegranate and herbs in this flavorful Middle Eastern-inspired dinner! (gluten-free, dairy-free option)

closeup of jeweled rice on a plate topped with lamb meatballs and a dollop of yogurt sprinkled with mint.

Feeling a little bored with the same old dinners? It can be easy to get in a rut with the flavors that are familiar to you, but if you're feeling like it's time to get a little more adventurous in the kitchen, these lamb meatballs with jeweled rice just might be the answer you're looking for!

Why You'll Love These Meatballs

This dinner is super flavorful and a fun way to step outside your culinary comfort zone without getting too complicated. Made mostly with ingredients that are simple to find at the grocery store, it may be new to you without being too intimidating. The easy lamb meatballs are subtly sweetened with raisins and flecked with garlic, herbs and spices. They sit atop pretty jeweled rice with pistachios, almonds, pomegranate, raisins, and fresh herbs, with a little pop of freshness from orange scented yogurt.

What is Jeweled Rice?

Jeweled rice is a traditional Middle Eastern dish traditionally served at weddings. It's named for its beautiful jewel toned hues - golden rice with flecks of emerald pistachios and herbs and ruby barberries (in this case substituted with dried fruit and pomegranate arils). It's made with long grain basmati rice and is fragrant with traditional Middle Eastern spices and orange peel. As with many popular regional dishes, there are as many recipe variations as there are chefs. This is my take using easyish to find ingredients and a simple method.

Ingredients for jeweled rice on a white background.

What Is Saffron?

Saffron is the spice that gives jeweled rice its signature golden color. It comes in 'threads' that are actually the stigmas of the crocus sativus flower. Because each flower only produces three stigmas, or threads, and they must be harvested by hand, saffron is one of the most expensive spices in the world. Luckily, a little goes a long way. Make sure you buy just a little at a time to make sure you get the most out of your saffron - you want it to be fresh so that you get the most flavor! To extract the subtly sweet flavor from the threads, you grind them up, either with a mortar and pestle or just by rubbing them between your fingers, and let them steep in hot water.

How To Make the Jeweled Rice

collage showing steps for making jeweled rice in a white saucepan.

jeweled rice with pomegranate and herbs on a large plate.

Crumble the saffron threads between your fingers into a small bowl. Add the hot water and let it soak for 10 minutes while you prepare the remaining ingredients.
Toast the pistachios and almonds in a pot on the stove, then set them aside.
Sauté the onion and garlic in a bit of melted butter or ghee (I like to use 4th & Heart Turmeric Ghee) until soft.
Add the rice and spices and cook for a couple of minutes to toast.
Add the broth and saffron water. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes, then rest for 10 minutes with the lid on.
Fluff the rice, stir in the orange zest, and plate. Then add the herbs, fruit, and toasted nuts.

How To Make the Middle Eastern Lamb Meatballs

collage showing four steps for making lamb meatballs with raisins.

In a large bowl combine lamb, raisins, garlic, parsley, and spices. Use your hands to mix if needed.
Roll into balls about the size of a golf ball.
Heat a cast iron skillet in the oven and bake meatballs in the skillet. Broil for about a minute for a nice browned outside.
Serve the meatballs on top of the jeweled rice with orange scented yogurt.

overhead view of jeweled rice with lamb meatballs and dollops of yogurt on top on a large plate with a gold spoon in it.

Tips and Ingredient Substitutions

Lamb can seem intimidating if you've never cooked with it before, but I promise it's not! My biggest rule for cooking with lamb is to make sure it's fresh. If it smells very strongly, don't use it! I like to use the grass fed lamb from Belcampo. (Use code livelytable10 for 10% off your order!)
If you can't find lamb, you can use ground beef or pork, or a mixture of both.
If your raisins are dried out, soak them in hot water for 10-15 minutes and drain before using.
If you don't have saffron, you can substitute turmeric in the rice. Use ½ teaspoon ground turmeric when you add the remaining spices and add the ¼ cup water with the broth.
Almost any dried fruit or nuts can be used in jeweled rice, so don't be afraid to substitute what you have on hand! I used golden raisins and pomegranate arils in this recipe, but feel free to use dried cranberries, apricots, or currants. You can use all pistachios, all almonds, or even pine nuts if you'd rather.
Basmati rice is the best for jeweled rice, but if you can't find it, you can use another long grained rice.
For a dairy-free version, use oil instead of butter or ghee in the rice and use your favorite non-dairy yogurt.
If you don't have a cast iron skillet, you can use another oven-proof skillet or a rimmed baking sheet to cook the meatballs.

three lamb meatballs on top of jeweled rice and yogurt on a small grey plate.

Can This Dish Be Made in Advance?

This rice is great for making in advance, and the meatballs can be mixed and formed in advance. To make ahead, follow the instructions for the rice, up until mixing in the orange zest and refrigerate. Then either place in the oven and reheat, covered, at 350°F until it's warmed through or reheat on the stovetop. (You'll get that signature Persian rice crispy bottom.) Then stir in all of the toppings.

You can form the meatballs and refrigerate, covered, up to a day in advance. The orange yogurt can be mixed a day in advance as well.

Love Lamb? Try These Other Recipes!

Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating in the comments!

Lamb Meatballs with Jeweled Rice

Print Recipe

Author: Kaleigh
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Yield: 4-6 servings 1x
Category: main dish
Method: stovetop
Cuisine: Mediterranean

Ingredients

Scale

For the Meatballs:

1 lb ground lamb
¼ cup golden raisins
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup parsley leaves, chopped
½ tsp ground cumin
¼ tsp ground turmeric
¼ tsp ground allspice
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp salt

For the Jeweled Rice:

¼ tsp saffron threads
¼ cup hot water
¼ cup shelled raw pistachios
¼ cup slivered almonds
1 tbsp butter or ghee
½ medium onion, dicecd
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup basmati rice
¼ tsp ground cumin
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp ground allspice
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
1 ¾ cups vegetable or chicken broth
1 tsp orange zest
¼ cup golden raisins
¼ cup pomegranate arils
¼ cup fresh parsley, roughly chopped
¼ cup fresh mint, roughly chopped

For the Yogurt:

1 cup plain Greek yogurt (I like whole milk)
juice from ½ medium orange

Instructions

To Make the Meatballs:

In a large bowl combine all meatball ingredients. Use your hands to mix, if needed.
Roll mixture into 1 ½ inch meatballs (about the size of a golf ball). You can place them in the refrigerator while you prepare the rice.
Place a cast iron skillet in the oven and preheat to 425°F. Once hot, place the meatballs in the skillet and bake for 8-10 minutes. Broil on high for 1 minute to get a nice brown color on the top. Remove from oven.

To Make The Jeweled Rice:

Crumble the saffron threads between your fingers into a small bowl. Add the hot water and seep for at least 10 minutes while you prepare the other ingredients.
In a dry skillet (or the pot you will use for the rice) over medium heat, toast the pistachios and almonds until golden and fragrant, about 5-10 minutes. Remove and set aside.
Heat the ghee or butter in a pot over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until softened, about 3-5 minutes. Add spices and rice and continue cooking until fragrant and toasted, another 1-2 minutes.
Add saffron mixture and broth, lower heat, and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and rest 10 minutes with the lid on.
Fluff with a fork and stir in orange zest. Transfer to a serving dish and stir in pomegranate, raisins, toasted nuts, mint and parsley.

To Serve:

Stir together yogurt and freshly squeezed orange juice.
Plate rice and serve with hot meatballs and yogurt sauce.

Notes

Lamb can seem intimidating if you've never cooked with it before, but I promise it's not! My biggest rule for cooking with lamb is to make sure it's fresh! If it smells very strongly, don't use it! I like to use the grass fed lamb from Belcampo. (Use code livelytable10 for 10% off your order!)
If you can't find lamb, you can use ground beef or pork, or a mixture of both.
If your raisins are dried out, soak them in hot water for 10-15 minutes and drain before using.
If you don't have saffron, you can substitute turmeric in the rice. Use ½ teaspoon ground turmeric when you add the remaining spices and add the ¼ cup water with the broth.
Almost any dried fruit or nuts can be used in jeweled rice, so don't be afraid to substitute what you have on hand! I used golden raisins and pomegranate arils in this recipe, but feel free to use dried cranberries, apricots, or currants. You can use all pistachios, all almonds, or even pine nuts if you'd rather.
Basmati rice is the best for jeweled rice, but if you can't find it, you can use another long grained rice.
For a dairy-free version, use oil instead of butter or ghee in the rice and use your favorite non-dairy yogurt.
If you don't have a cast iron skillet, you can use another oven-proof skillet or a rimmed baking sheet.