The Best Za’atar Meatballs with Tagliatelle

Yield 4 to 6 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

This is not your conventional meatball and tomato sauce combo.

Ingredients:

For the Meatballs:

• 1½ pound (680g) ground beef

• ½ large white onion, finely chopped (about 1 cup)

• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced

• ½ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley or cilantro leaves and tender stems 

• 1 large egg, lightly beaten

• 1 tablespoon Za’atar (page XXX, or use store-bought), plus more for garnish 

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1 teaspoon ground sumac (see Note) or finely grated zest of 1 lemon 

• ½ teaspoon ground turmeric

• ½ teaspoon Aleppo pepper or crushed hot red pepper (optional, see Note) 

• ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds or za’atar, for sprinkling, plus more as needed

• Labneh (page XXX), sprinkled with Za’atar, for serving 

• Sprigs of fresh flat-leaf parsley, for serving

For the Tagliatelle:

• Kosher salt

• 1 pound (454g) dried tagliatelle (or long fusilli)

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, or as needed

• 1 tablespoon za’atar                    

• 1 lemon, zest removed with a vegetable peeler and very thinly sliced

• ¼ cup chopped parsley

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375ºF (190°C). In a medium bowl, using clean hands, mix the ground beef with the onion, garlic, parsley, egg, 1 tablespoon of the za’atar, salt, sumac, turmeric, and Aleppo or hot red pepper, if desired, until well combined. Shape about twelve 2-in/5cm meatballs and place on a baking sheet. 

2. In a large oven-proof skillet, heat the oil over medium heat until it is hot and shimmering. Add the meatballs to the skillet. Increase the heat to medium-high and brown the meatballs, turning them to brown them all over, 4 to 5 minutes. Sprinkle with the sesame seeds or za’atar, adding more if necessary to cover each meatball; it’s fine that some will fall off into the hot oil. Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake until crisped and cooked through, 6 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and cover to keep warm. 

3. Meanwhile, prepare the tagliatelle. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the tagliatelle and cook according to package directions until al dente. Reserve ½ cup  of the pasta cooking water. Drain the pasta and place it in a large bowl or return it to the cooking pot. Pour over the olive oil and add the za’atar and lemon zest. Use tongs to toss to thoroughly coat. Add some pasta water or more olive oil if the pasta is too dry. Taste and add salt if needed. Sprinkle with the parsley. 

4. To serve, put the labneh in a serving bowl. Sprinkle the meatballs with a garnish of za’atar or sesame seeds. Place the tagliatelle and meatballs onto plates, add a small bunch of parsley sprigs to each, and serve with the labneh.

Note: Aleppo pepper is a mild, fruity chile from Syria, and always sold crushed. Sumac, also always crushed, is made from the tart, dark red berries of a shrub. Both are sold at Middle Eastern grocers and online.