Meatballs in Tomato Sauce with Couscous

Finely chop half of the onion and two garlic cloves for the meatballs. Chop the remaining half of the onion and two garlic cloves for the sauce. Roughly chop the fresh parsley and basil.

In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, finely chopped onion (for meatballs), minced garlic (for meatballs), breadcrumbs, egg, chopped parsley, 3g of salt, and 2g of black pepper. Mix thoroughly until all ingredients are well incorporated.

Roll the mixture into small, bite-sized meatballs, about 3-4 cm in diameter. You should get approximately 20-25 meatballs.

Heat a large pot or deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs in batches and brown them on all sides. They don't need to be cooked through, just nicely browned. Remove the browned meatballs and set them aside.

In the same pot, add 30 ml of olive oil. Add the remaining chopped onion (for sauce) and sauté for 3-5 minutes until softened and translucent. Add the remaining minced garlic (for sauce) and cook for another minute until fragrant.

Pour in the crushed tomatoes. Stir in the dried oregano, sugar, 4g of salt, and 2g of black pepper. Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer.

Carefully add the browned meatballs back into the simmering tomato sauce. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and let it simmer for 20-25 minutes, or until the meatballs are cooked through and tender, and the sauce has thickened slightly.

Stir in the chopped fresh basil during the last 5 minutes of simmering for extra freshness and aroma.

While the meatballs are simmering, prepare the couscous. In a medium bowl, combine the couscous with 2g of salt and the butter (or a drizzle of olive oil).

Pour the hot water or vegetable broth over the couscous, ensuring it is just covered. Cover the bowl tightly with a lid and let it sit for 5 minutes, or according to package instructions, until the liquid is absorbed.

Fluff the couscous with a fork before serving to separate the grains.