These spiced meatballs with pearl couscous, a fresh zucchini roasted almond salad, and honeyed yoghurt are a perfect combination of flavours and textures. The spiced meatballs are juicy and tender, infused with a blend of cumin and cardamom. The pearl couscous provides a satisfying chewiness, while the zucchini roasted almond salad adds a refreshing crunch. The honeyed yoghurt, with its sweetness and tanginess, ties everything together. This recipe is a complete meal that's perfect for a quick weeknight dinner or a weekend gathering.
Feel free to serve each element in individual bowls as a 'share-style' dinner for guests to build their own plate.
Flatbreads warm from the oven would also make a delicious addition, especially if you're entertaining guests.
Hope you all love this one. And please let me know if you make the recipe @gatherandfeast, and feel free to ask any questions.
Ingredients
15 minutes preparation time + 30 minutes cook time 
4 Meatballs
- 500g grass-fed beef mince
- 3 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- A few generous cracks of black pepper
Couscous
- Pinch chili flakes, to your taste
- 1 cup pearl (Israeli) couscous, dry
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed or finely grated
- 1 1/2 cups beef or vegetable stock
- 2 large handfuls baby spinach
- 1/4 cup sultanas
- Salt and pepper to taste
Fresh zucchini & roasted almond salad
- 1 large zucchini, roughly grated
- 1 small bunch fresh basil, finely chopped
- 1 small bunch fresh mint, finely chopped
- Zest and juice of 1 lemon
- Drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup roasted almonds, roughly chopped (you could also use toasted slivered almonds)
Honeyed yoghurt
- 1 cup thick unsweetened Greek yoghurt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon honey
- Zest of 1 orange
Method
Meatballs
- Preheat oven to 170°C/340°F (fan forced).
- In a medium bowl add the beef mince, ground cumin, ground cardamom, salt, and some freshly cracked black pepper.
- Using your hands mix the spices through the mince completely.
- Form the mince into tablespoon-sized balls. There should be roughly 20.
- Now place a large saucepan onto medium to high heat.
- Once the pan is hot add a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and the meatballs.
- Sear on high heat until browned. This will take roughly 4 minutes.
- Remove the balls from the pan and place them into a heatproof bowl.
- Place the bowl into the oven to finish cooking for 15 minutes.
- While the meatballs are cooking let's prepare the remaining elements.
Couscous
- Using paper towel remove any excess oil from the pan you just used.
- Add a sprinkling of chili flakes to your taste.
- Add the pearl couscous and crushed garlic and sauté for roughly 30 seconds.
- Add the stock and give the mixture a good stir.
- Place the lid on top of the pan and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Remove the lid and add the baby spinach and sultanas then stir to combine.
- Place the lid back on top and allow to sit for 5-10 minutes.
Salad
- Grate the zucchini into a medium-sized bowl.
- Add the finely chopped mint and basil.
- Add the roughly chopped almonds, the lemon zest, and juice.
- Add some salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste.
- Add a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and stir to combine.
Honeyed yoghurt
- In a small bowl mix the yoghurt, cumin, and honey.
To assemble
- After 15 minutes remove the meatballs from the oven and also remove the lid from the couscous.
- If you're serving this dish individually divide the couscous, meatballs, and salad into 4 serving bowls.
- Dollop with the honeyed yoghurt and top with orange zest and fresh mint leaves.
- To serve this in the pan, add the meatballs directly to the couscous, the salad alongside, and top with the yoghurt, orange zest and fresh mint leaves.
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