Haggis Meatballs

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Haggis meatballs with creamy white wine and parmesan sauce are a fantastic dinner. It is comforting, tasty, and a great way to eat haggis. 

I like haggis a lot. I love the mix of flavours and the texture, and while traditional haggis with neeps and tatties is excellent, I actually think it’s very versatile and underrated. 

Easy Haggis meatballs are a great way to try haggis for the first time if you aren’t sure or enjoy an alternative to a meal you already love. 

Haggis spaghetti, or tagliatelle, is always a hit here and is easy to make. If you are looking for alternative haggis recipes this January, especially on Burns Night, I’d give these simple haggis balls a go.

Why I Love Haggis Meatballs

I love this Haggis Meatballs Recipe because:

• It tastes amazing! It’s really rich and decadent. Properly delicious!
• The kids don’t like it. I know this might seem like a negative, but despite my big push for midweek family meals, it’s nice to have some special adult-only date night dinners in your arsenal. 
• Haggis balls are really easy to make. 
• The sauce is ideal if you don’t like a more traditional whiskey-creamy sauce. 
• It’s a nice change if you love meatballs and want to try something different. Lamb haggis meatballs are familiar but different. 

Ingredients For Haggis Meatballs

Haggis meatballs are super simple, and even the sauce has few ingredients. 

For the Meatballs

Cooking Spray 

Haggis

Lamb Mince – I use half a haggis and half a standard pack of lamb. This is around 225-240g. I keep the rest to make haggis burgers another day. 

Egg

Salt and Pepper – This is optional. Haggis is already seasoned, so it’s not essential, but I add a little tiny bit to bring out the flavours. 

For the Sauce

Butter

Garlic Puree – You can use fresh garlic, but garlic paste or puree is a fabulous time-saving cheat!

Double cream

White Wine

Parmesan Cheese 

Salt and Pepper

Then you just need your favourite pasta to serve with your Haggis Balls.

You’ll Also Need

You don’t need much to make this haggis balls recipe. I use:

• A sharp knife to cut the haggis. 
• Large mixing bowl. 
• Baking tray
• Frying pan
• Spatula
• Then, just a pan and colander for the pasta and a serving spoon or tongs. 

How to Make Haggis Meatballs – Step-by-Step Instructions

Full, easy-to-follow instructions and quantities are available in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Step One

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C (fan-assisted).

Step Two

Mist a large baking tray with cooking spray. 

Step Three

Remove the haggis from the wrapper and place in a large mixing bowl. I just chop it in half and then peel the wrapping away. It comes off easily. 

Step Four

Add the lamb mince, and break both meats up with a spatula or your fingers. I use my fingers. 

Step Five

Mix until even. 

Step Six

Add an egg and a pinch of salt and pepper if desired. 

Step Seven

Knead together with your hands until the mixture is a workable ball. It will be a little sticky but still easy enough to roll. 

Step Eight

Roll into around 18 even balls, a little smaller than golf balls. You can make them smaller if you prefer; just remember they won’t need as long to cook. 

Step Nine

Place on the prepared baking tray, leaving plenty of room between them.

Step Ten

Place in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, carefully shaking the tray after 15 minutes to turn.

Step Eleven – Making a White Wine and Parmesan Sauce

Warm a large, non-stick frying pan over medium heat on the hob.

Step Twelve

Add the butter and melt. This won’t take long.

Step Thirteen

Stir in the garlic. If you are using puree, just stir it in and move on. If you are using fresh, cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally.

Step Fourteen

Pour in the cream and wine and stir.

Step Fifteen

When it starts to simmer, add the grated parmesan and stir. The parmesan might clump in places, but it will melt evenly in time. Don’t worry if there seem to be lumps. 

Step  Sixteen – How to Thicken a White Wine and Parmesan Sauce

Simmer for ten minutes.

For meatballs in white wine sauce, you want the sauce to be quite thick so that it coats the pasta instead of just sliding off. You certainly don’t want it to be soupy or watery. 

Using double cream and lots of cheese means it’s already thick, and simmering for 10 minutes is plenty of time for it to thicken more. 

You can simmer for a little longer if you need to, but remember, it will thicken further as it cools and sets on the pasta.  

Step Seventeen  

Add a pinch of salt and pepper to taste.

Step Eighteen

Carefully remove the cooked meatballs from the oven and tip them into the pan with the sauce. You can stir the pasta in, too, if you want. I tend to just serve the meatballs and sauce on a bed of pasta. 

Step Nineteen

Stir so the meatballs are coated in sauce, and serve. 

Top Tips for Haggis Pasta

This Haggis Pasta recipe is super simple, and I really don’t have many tips!

Check to make sure your meatballs are piping hot and cooked in the middle. I recommend using a food thermometer or breaking it in half to see. 

Then, give the sauce time. It thickens and comes together; don’t worry. 

How Are Haggis Meatballs Served?

Haggis meatballs are often served with a whisky sauce made with traditional Scotch Whisky. But I don’t like whisky (unless it’s in Bailey’s!), so I wanted a sauce for haggis without whisky.

When experimenting with a sauce for haggis pasta, I found that the peppery haggis worked well with a simple, creamy white wine sauce with parmesan. 

Try this Whisky Mushroom Sauce recipe if you prefer your haggis pasta with a whisky cream sauce.

What Pasta to Serve with Haggis Meatballs

I like to use tagliatelle, spaghetti, or linguine for my haggis and lamb meatballs. But really whatever you prefer. I like haggis pasta with tagliatelle most, but it depends on personal preference. 

Use the pasta that you like and cook according to package instructions.

Variations

Can You Make Vegetarian Haggis Meatballs?

Yes, but you will need to make some changes. 

Vegetarian haggis is lovely and fine for making meatballs. But you will, of course, need to skip the lamb. You can replace it with a Quorn mince or use the haggis alone. 

It might need a little more kneading together, as it will be drier without the fat from the lamb. 

Making Vegan Haggis Meatballs

Vegetarian haggis is typically suitable for vegans. 

But you’ll need to skip the recipe’s egg and minced meat. I’d try adding a splash of vegan-suitable red wine and kneading together, adding a little more as needed to bring the balls together. 

You will also need to change up the sauce. This vegan creamy sauce could be a great choice.

Leftover Haggis Balls

Leftover haggis meatballs can be reheated the next day. In sauce, I recommend relating in the microwave, or a pan with a bit of water. The sauce sets quite hard, so just tip it in and stir often. 

If they aren’t in sauce, you could reheat them in the oven for 10 minutes until they are piping hot. You could also cook your haggis meatballs in the air fryer. Start at 160 degrees C for 10 minutes, again making sure they are piping hot.

Storage 

Remove leftover haggis meatballs from the cooking pan to cool quickly. Place in a clean bowl or tub with any leftover sauce, cover and store in the fridge for 1-2 days. 

FAQ

Other Recipes 

If you like these haggis meatballs, I also recommend:

• Haggis Lasagne
• Haggis Cottage Pie
• Haggis and Lamb Burgers
• Haggis Fritters
• Deep Fried Haggis Balls

Recipe Card

Haggis Meatballs

Author NameAuthor: Donna

Haggis Meatballs with creamy white wine and parmesan sauce is an alternative and yummy way to enjoy this delicious food—a perfect way to try something new.

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 50 minutes mins

Course Dinner

Cuisine British, Scottish

Servings 6 Portions

Calories 706 kcal

Ingredients

  

For the Meatballs

• Cooking Spray (or olive oil)
• 225 g Haggis
• 225 g Lamb Mince
• 1 Egg
• Pinch Salt and pepper

For the Sauce:

• 1 Tablespoons Butter
• 1 Teaspoon Garlic Puree (or two cloves crushed garlic)
• 300 ml Double cream
• 100 ml white wine
• 100 g Parmesan cheese (Grated)
• Pinch Salt and pepper
• Pasta for four (Cooked to packet instructions)

Instructions

 

For the Meatballs

• Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C (fan-assisted) and mist a large baking tray with cooking spray.
• Remove the haggis from the wrapper and place in a large mixing bowl.
• Add the lamb mince, and break both meats up with a spatula or your fingers.
• Mix until even.
• Add an egg and a pinch of salt and pepper.
• Knead together with your hands until the mixture is a workable ball.
• Roll into around 18 even balls, a little smaller than golf balls.
• Place on the prepared baking tray, leaving plenty of room between them.
• Place in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, carefully shaking the tray after 15 minutes to turn.

For the Sauce

• Warm a large, non-stick frying pan over medium heat on the hob.
• Add the butter and melt.
• Stir in the garlic. Cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally if using fresh.
• Pour in the cream and wine and stir.
• When it starts to simmer, add the grated parmesan and stir.
• Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring often, until the sauce has thickened.
• Add a pinch of salt and pepper to taste (optional).
• Carefully remove the cooked meatballs from the oven and tip them into the pan with the sauce.
• Stir well so the meatballs are well coated, and serve with the cooked pasta.

Notes

• I’ve used 225g of both haggis and lamb as a rough guide. Haggis and lamb both typically come in packs of slightly under 500g, but the specifics vary. Use half of each and the same amount of both. If this is closer to 250g, that’s fine.
• You can stir the pasta into the sauce with the meatballs if you want to make sure it is well coated in sauce.

Any nutritional information is given as a general guide only and may not be accurate. The information is provided using an online calculator and is specific to my ingredients. Please make your own calculations if you want precise information.

Keyword burn’s night recipes, haggis recipes

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