PEPPERY MEAT LOAF WITH COUSCOUS

PEPPERY MEAT LOAF WITH COUSCOUS image

Categories Beef

Yield 8 servings

Number Of Ingredients 15

¾ cup water
½ cup beef stock (reduced-sodium) or water
¾ cup whole wheat couscous
1 lb. extra lean ground beef
8 oz. Italian sausage, removed from casings and crumbled (250 mL)
1 onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
½ cup parsley, finely chopped
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup tomato sauce, (reduced sodium), divided
1 Tbsp. sweet paprika
1 Tbsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground coriander
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper

Steps:

Preheat oven to 350 F. 9 x 5 inch loaf pan. Instant read thermometer. In a saucepan, bring water and beef stock to a boil. Gradually stir in couscous. Cover, remove from heat and set aside or let stand until couscous is tender and water is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Fluff with a fork before using. In a large bowl, combine ground beef, sausage, onion, bell pepper, parsley, eggs, all but 2 Tbsp. of the tomato sauce, paprika, cumin, coriander, salt, cayenne and couscous. Using your hands, mix until well blended. Transfer to loaf pan and spread remaining 2 Tbsp. of tomato sauce over top. Bake in preheated oven until temperature reaches 165 F. on a thermometer, about 1 hour. Makes 8 servings. VARIATION: Substitute spelt or barley couscous for the whole wheat version. The Complete Whole Grains Cookbook TIP: For the best flavor, toast whole cumin and coriander seeds and grind them yourself. To toast seeds, spread in a dry skillet over medium heat and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a mortar or a spice grinder and grind.