Spanish-style beef meatballs with garlic couscous
Smoked paprika and cumin go into the meatballs themselves, then again into the tomato sauce they simmer in. Served over a quick garlic couscous.
Notable for: iron, antioxidants, B vitamins
Ingredients
- 680 gprime beef mince
- 150 gbrown onions, half finely diced for the meatballs, half sliced for the sauce
- 25 gcrushed garlic
- 10 gsmoked paprika
- 10 gground cumin
- 800 gchopped tomatoes, 2 cans
- 1stock cubes, in 100 ml water
- 320 gcouscous
- 10 mlolive oil
Method
Mix the beef with half the onion (finely diced), half the garlic and half the paprika, then roll it into 16 to 20 small meatballs.
Brown the meatballs in the oil over medium-high heat, in batches, about 4 minutes, turning them to colour most sides, then set them aside.
Soften the remaining onion and garlic in the same pan for 2 to 3 minutes.
Stir through the remaining paprika and the cumin for 30 seconds, then add the tomatoes and stock.
Return the meatballs to the pan, bring the sauce to a simmer, then cover and cook for 15 minutes, until the meatballs are cooked through.
Cover the couscous in boiling water with a drizzle of olive oil, leave it for 5 minutes, then fluff it with a fork.
Serve the meatballs and sauce over the couscous.
Brown the meatballs before saucing them
Colouring the meatballs properly first, even in batches, builds a base of flavour the sauce can't get any other way. Don't skip straight to simmering them raw in the tomato.
Storage
Keeps four days in the fridge and freezes well.
Cool completely before freezing; reheat gently with a splash of water.
Cost per serving is indicative, based on New Zealand supermarket prices as at September 2026. Batch prices your own week against your own store on the day. Nutrition figures, including calories, are estimates rather than label readings, so always check the packet if you have an allergy. "Notable for" reflects well-established qualities of the ingredients used, not a lab measurement of this exact dish.