Meatballs in spinach and tomato sauce with herby couscous
- Published: 5 Jan 16
- Updated: 18 Mar 24
Make weekday cooking easier with this hearty meatball recipe made from ingredients from your storecupboard.
- Serves 4
- Hands-on time 30 min
Ingredients
- 2 garlic cloves
- Large bunch fresh parsley
- 1 onion
- 500g British free-range 10% fat beef mince
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp smoked paprika (also called pimentón)
- 400g tin chopped tomatoes
- 300g frozen spinach, defrosted
- 250g couscous
- Large bunch fresh basil
Method
- Crush the garlic cloves, roughly chop the parsley and finely chop the onion. In a mixing bowl, combine the mince, garlic and 1 tbsp of the chopped parsley. Season generously with salt and pepper, then shape the mixture into 20 small meatballs.
- Heat a splash of the olive oil in a large frying pan over a high heat. Add the meatballs and fry for 5 minutes, turning, or until browned all over. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- Add a little more oil to the pan, then fry the onion for 2-3 minutes. Stir in the paprika and fry for a further 2-3 minutes.
- Add the chopped tomatoes and spinach to the pan along with the meatballs. Add 200ml water and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, boil the kettle. Put the couscous in a heatproof bowl and pour over 450ml boiling water. Add a small handful of the remaining chopped parsley and season generously. Cover with cling film and leave for 5 minutes or until the water has been absorbed. Chop the basil, reserving a few leaves to garnish.
- Stir the meatball mixture, adding a splash more water if it looks too dry. Taste and season, then stir in a handful of the basil.
- Fluff the couscous, then stir through the remaining herbs and drizzle over the rest of the oil. Serve with the meatballs and sauce.
- Recipe from October 2015 Issue
Nutrition
- Calories
- 612kcals
- Fat
- 25.5g (8.5g saturated)
- Protein
- 36.7g
- Carbohydrates
- 55.4g (8.3g sugars)
- Fibre
- 7.3g
- Salt
- 0.3g
delicious. tips
This is great served with a dollop of Greek yogurt.
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Delicious! I tried this recipe an my family loved it. We added a dollop of greek yogurt,as recommended.