Moroccan Beef Meatballs with Couscous & Flaked Almonds

• servings: 4 servings
• active time: 40 minutes
• total time: 55 minutes

Ingredients

olive oil

4 clove garlic

1 bunch mint

1 unit brown onion

2 unit zucchini

2 unit carrot

1 bag baby spinach leaves (60g)

1 packet beef mince

2 sachet ras el hanout

2 unit egg

1 packet Fine Breadcrumbs

½ tsp salt

2 packet flaked almonds

2 sachet tomato paste

400g passata

½ cup water (for the sauce)

3 cube vegetable stock

40 g butter

1 ½ cup water (for the couscous)

2 packet couscous

200g Greek-style yoghurt

Directions

Finely chop the garlic (or use a garlic press). Pick and finely chop the mint leaves. Finely chop the brown onion. Grate the zucchini and carrot (unpeeled). Roughly chop the baby spinach leaves.

In a large bowl, combine the beef mince, ras el hanout, egg, fine breadcrumbs (see ingredients list), the salt, 1/2 the garlic, 1/2 the mint and a pinch of pepper. Using damp hands, shape a heaped spoonful of the beef mixture into a meatball. Place on a plate and repeat with the remaining mixture. You should get 5-6 meatballs per person.

Heat a large frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the flaked almonds and toast, tossing until golden, 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Return the pan to a medium-high heat with a drizzle of olive oil. Add the meatballs and cook, turning often, until browned, 5-6 minutes. (The meatballs will continue cooking in step 4.) Transfer to a plate.

Return the frying pan to a medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until slightly softened, 3 minutes. Add the zucchini, carrot and remaining garlic and cook until soft, 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste, passata, water (for the sauce) and 2 crumbled vegetable stock cubes. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to low and add the meatballs. Simmer until the meatballs are cooked and sauce thickens, 5 minutes. Stir in the butter until melted. Season to taste with salt and pepper. TIP: Add a little water if the sauce is too thick.

While the sauce is simmering, add the water (for the couscous) and 1 crumbled vegetable stock cube to a medium saucepan and bring to the boil. Add the couscous and a drizzle of olive oil. Stir to combine, cover with a lid and remove from the heat. Set aside until all the water is absorbed, 5 minutes. Fluff up with a fork and stir through the chopped baby spinach and remaining mint.

Divide the couscous and Moroccan beef meatballs between plates and spoon over the remaining sauce in the pan. Top with the Greek yoghurt and flaked almonds.

Nutrition

• Calories: 3080 kcal
• Total Fat: 27.2 g
• Saturated Fat: 12.6 g
• Cholesterol: 0 mg
• Sodium: 1440 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 67.3 g
• Dietary Fiber: 0 g
• Total Sugars: 20.3 g
• Protein: 49.4 g