Serve this Middle-Eastern inspired dish on a bed of couscous for a delicious one-dish meal that is intriguingly different.

Meatballs in Spinach Sauce
George Geary & Judith Finlayson, 650 Best Food Processor Recipes

Meatballs
½ cup fine bulgur
¾ cup iced cold water
1 pound lean ground beef
¼ cup sun-dried tomato pesto
1 egg, beaten
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Spinach Sauce
1 pound fresh spinach, stems removed, or 1 package spinach leaves, thawed if frozen
1/3 cup tahini paste
2 Tablespoons green onions, white part only, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ teaspoon ground cumin
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Cooked couscous

Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly grease a rimmed baking sheet.

To cook the couscous for this recipe, bring 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth or water to a boil. Gradually add 1 cup couscous, stirring well. Season with salt to taste. Remove from heat, cover and let stand for at least 15 minutes. Fluff with a fork before using.

For best flavor for this recipe, toast and grind cumin yourself. To toast cumin: Place seeds in a dry skillet over medium heat, and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Immediately transfer to a mortar or spice grinder and grind.

In a bowl, combine the bulgur and ice water. Stir well and set aside for 5 minutes. Drain and squeeze out excess liquid and return to bowl. Add ground beef, pesto, egg, and salt and pepper to taste. Using your hands, mix well. Shape into 12 meatballs, each about ¼ cup. Place on prepared baking sheet and bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Turn and bake until beef is no longer pink, about 15 minutes more.

Meanwhile, in a large pot, cook spinach until wilted, about 5 minutes (or just until heated through if using frozen). Drain spinach but don’t squeeze the water out. Otherwise, your sauce will not have enough liquid. Transfer to work bowl fitted with metal blade. Add tahini, lemon juice, green onions, garlic, and cumin. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Process until smooth, about 30 seconds.

To serve, spoon couscous onto a deep platter and top with spinach sauce. Arrange meatballs over top.

Serves 6-8.