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Beef meatballs with couscous

An everyday dish for 2, ready in 20 minutes, around $2.05 a serving. People actually plan it with Popotam, and it's in season in October.

20mintotal
≈ $2.05a serving
600kcalper serving
33gof protein
In season in OctoberFreezes well
Let's cook

Step-by-step recipe

check things off as you go

  1. Chop the onion

    Peel the onion and chop it finely. Put half in the mixing bowl and save the other half for the sauce.

  2. Mix the meatballs

    Add the ground beef, salt and pepper to the bowl with the half onion and mix it all up with your hands. Shape 8 small meatballs about the size of a big walnut.

    Tip · Wet your hands a little before shaping the meatballs, the meat sticks less.

  3. Brown the meatballs

    Heat the oil in the skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the meatballs on all sides, turning them often.

  4. Add the onion and tomatoes

    Turn the heat down to medium, scatter the rest of the onion around the meatballs, then pour in the crushed tomatoes. Stir gently.

  5. Simmer with the lid on

    Cover and let it simmer over low heat until the meatballs are cooked through, with no pink left inside (70 °C minimum).

    Tip · Cut a meatball in half to check: the inside should be fully brown, no pink. If not, give it 2 more min.

  6. Cook the couscous

    Bring 180 ml of water to a boil in the saucepan, add a pinch of salt if you like, then pour in the 150 g of couscous. Cover and let it swell off the heat.

  7. Fluff the couscous

    Fluff the couscous with a fork to separate the grains. It soaked up all the water, so there's nothing to drain.

  8. Serve

    Split the fluffed couscous between two plates and set the meatballs and their tomato sauce on top.

And there you go, it's readyCheck off every step to celebrate.

The questions you're asking

short answers, numbers you can check

How many calories in a serving?

One serving has about 600 kcal. 40% comes from carbs, 22% from protein and 36% from fat.

60 gCarbs
33 gProtein
24 gFat
Per serving (the dish for 2, divided by 2)
Energy600 kcal
Protein32.8 g
Carbs59.7 g
of which sugars6.4 g
Fat24.3 g
of which saturated fat8.7 g
Fiber5.5 g
Salt0.4 g

Worked out ingredient by ingredient with the ANSES Ciqual 2025 table, never written by an AI. It's an estimate: veggie sizes and brands make the numbers vary.

How much does it cost?

About $2.05 a serving, adding up the average prices of the ingredients you need to buy.

≈ $4.10for 2 people
≈ $2.05a serving

Pantry salt, oil and spices aren't counted. Your store and your brands will move the total, but the ballpark is right.

How long does it keep?

2 days in the fridge, in a closed container, once cooled within two hours. And it freezes really well.

2 daysin the fridge
Very wellin the freezer, thaw it in the fridge the day before

Times Popotam uses for meal prep, based on ANSES guidance, rounded down. The details: how long cooked dishes keep.

and the rest of the week?

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Lunch and dinner, with dishes like this one, based on your tastes, your time and your budget. The grocery list is sorted by aisle. Free, no account.

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