Welcome to day two of my plan for eating (mostly) clean on a budget! The star tonight will be Mediterranean meatballs with a tomato and cucumber salad smothered in tzatziki sauce and served with a side of spicy roasted broccoli!

This is an absolutely delicious and fun way to incorporate new flavors into your recipe rotation. Anything served with tzatziki sauce is a hit in my house. The Mr. and I have been obsessed with it ever since we learned what it was. It’s creamy and tangy and garlicky and fresh all at the same time. SO. GOOD.

I used ground chuck in these meatballs because chuck is a fattier meat. It keeps the meatballs from drying out in the over. As a bonus, it was on sale for $2.99/lb, Since this is a budget plan I shopped the sales as much as possible. Feel free to use another kind of ground meat if you prefer, but I can’t guarantee how well it will turn out!

You can serve this with your favorite starch such as brown rice, quinoa or couscous, or serve it as is! It is delicious either way.

Here is your grocery list:

1 lb. ground chuck – $2.99

Parsley – $.98

1 English cucumber – $1.48

1 pint grape tomatoes – $1.98

1 lemon – $.50

1 broccoli crown – $.96

1 5-oz. container of plain greek yogurt – $1.00

Estimated Total: $9.89

Items you may already have on hand:

Dried dill weed

Extra virgin olive oil

Red pepper flakes

Red wine vinegar

4 cloves of garlic

Red or white onion

1 egg

Italian seasoned bread crumbs

Ground coriander (ground cumin will work as well)

Chili powder

Salt and pepper

Mediterranean Meatball Bowls with Spicy Roasted Broccoli

Serves 4-6

For the meatballs:

1 lb. ground chuck

3 cloves of garlic, minced

2 tbsp parsley, finely chopped

1 tsp ground coriander (ground cumin will work)

1 tsp chili powder

1/4 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs

1 large egg

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground pepper

For the tomato and cucumber salad:

1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes, halved

1 cup cucumber, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1/3 cup red or white onion, diced

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

1 tbsp olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

For the tzatziki sauce:

1 5-oz. container of plain Greek yogurt

1/2 cup cucumber, grated or finely chopped

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1 clove of garlic, finely minced

1 tbsp dried dill weed

Salt and pepper, to taste

For the broccoli:

1 crown of broccoli, cut into bite sized florets

2 tbsp olive oil

A pinch of red pepper flakes

Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 425º.
2. In a bowl, combine tomato, cucumber, onion, red wine vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper. Taste to make sure the seasoning is to your liking and place in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
3. In a separate bowl, combine Greek yogurt, grated cucumber, lemon juice, garlic, dill, salt and pepper. Taste to make sure the seasoning is to your liking and place in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
4. Combine broccoli, olive oil, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper in a mixing bowl. Pour onto a baking sheet and roast for 8 minutes.
5. While the broccoli is roasting, mix ground chuck, garlic, parsley, coriander, chili powder, bread crumbs, egg, salt and pepper in a large bowl until well combined.
6. Grease a large baking sheet with cooking spray and roll the meatballs into uniform sized balls. (I used a 1/8 cup measuring cup to measure). Place the rolled meatballs on the baking sheet.
7. Remove the broccoli from the oven and stir. Place both the broccoli and the meatballs in the oven and bake for about 10 minutes, or until meatballs are cooked through and broccoli is browned (but not burned!)
8. Serve the meatballs and broccoli with the tomato and cucumber salad and tzatziki sauce. Enjoy!