Meatballs

⅓ cup white all-purpose flour

1 large red onion, separated

1 pound 80/20 ground beef (or use 93/7 ground turkey for a lighter option)

⅓ cup Panko breadcrumbs

¼ cup finely chopped flat-leaf Italian parsley

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh mint, optional

1 large egg

½ teaspoon each: dried oregano, ground cumin, beef bouillon powder

2 garlic cloves, finely minced

1 tablespoon olive oil

Fine sea salt & pepper

Herb Sauce OR make this Tzatziki sauce instead

½ cup parsley leaves and tender stems, roughly chopped

½ cup cilantro leaves (or mint) and tender stems, roughly chopped

⅓ cup jalapeños roughly chopped (leave seeds and ribs for heat, remove for mild)

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1½ tablespoons each: fresh lemon juice and water

¼ teaspoon ground cumin

5 tablespoons olive oil

Veggies/Serving

2 cups each: thinly sliced cucumbers and halved cherry tomatoes

1 cup small couscous, plus 1 cup water

1 cup Greek yogurt whole-milk, plain

Optional: additional lemon wedges, feta, charred/toasted pita (Note 2)

PREP: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Generously grease a dark-colored rimmed sheet pan with cooking spray and set aside. Add flour to a small bowl and set aside.

MEATBALLS: Peel the onion and cut it in half, saving one half for later. Grate the other half on the large holes of a cheese grater until you have a completely filled ½ cup measure of grated onion. Add onion to a large bowl. Add remaining meatball ingredients (except for the flour). Season to taste with salt and pepper (I add ¼ tsp pepper and ¾ tsp salt). Gently knead the ingredients until they are integrated.

MEATBALLS, CONT.: Use a tablespoon measuring spoon to scoop a heaping spoonful of the meat mixture and roll it into an evenly-sized ball. Repeat with the remaining meat mixture to make around 25 meatballs. Working with one meatball at a time, roll to lightly coat in the flour, shaking off the excess. Arrange the meatballs, spaced apart, on the sheet pan.

BAKE: Generously spray the meatballs with cooking spray and bake for 15 minutes. Then use a metal spatula and your fingers (careful, they’re hot!) to gently flip the meatballs over to the other side. Bake for another 5-8 minutes, or until nicely golden brown and baked through. (If using turkey, bake for 18 minutes, flip, and bake for 5-8 more minutes.)

LEMON-HERB SAUCE: Meanwhile, place the parsley, cilantro, jalapeños, garlic, lemon juice, water, cumin, plus salt (to taste, I add ½ tsp) in a mini blender or food processor. Pulse until the mixture is evenly chopped, scraping down the sides as necessary. Stir in the oil and pulse just until emulsified (don’t over-blend!). Taste and add more salt or lemon juice as desired.

COUSCOUS: Meanwhile, pour 1 cup of water into a small pot. Add 1 teaspoon of olive oil and bring to a boil. Once boiling, remove the pot from the heat. Stir in the uncooked couscous and cover the pot with a lid. After about 2-4 minutes the liquid should be absorbed; fluff couscous with a fork. Stir in ¼ cup of the lemon-herb sauce, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, and about ¼ teaspoon each of salt and pepper (again, to personal preference).

VEGGIES: Very thinly slice the reserved half of the red onion. Add to a bowl with the cucumber and tomato. Season with salt and pepper (just a pinch) and toss to combine. Optional: If you have some leftover herbs, chop ’em up and stir them in here too.

SERVE: Set out four plates. Use the back of a spoon to spread ¼ of the Greek yogurt across the bottom of each plate. Sprinkle with salt to taste. Divide the couscous evenly between plates. Divide cucumber-tomato salad evenly between plates. Divide meatballs evenly between plates. Optional: drizzle a touch of olive oil over everything. Spoon the remaining lemon-herb sauce evenly on top and enjoy immediately. Charred/toasted pita for dipping is also so good!

Note 1: Couscous: When it comes to couscous, there are different varieties available, but we’re using small-grain or Moroccan couscous for this recipe. (Small-grain couscous has a fine texture and is the perfect size for steaming, which allows it to cook very quickly.) The recipe method outlined only works with this type of couscous. (It won’t work with larger pearl couscous or any other type of grain.)

Note 2: Toasting pitas: To toast the pitas, spray both sides of the pita with olive oil cooking spray and char directly over the gas flames (at medium to medium-low heat) for a few seconds. Use tongs to flip until pitas are lightly charred.