Everyday kitchen · Moderate
Lemon sirloin & spinach couscous bowls
Juicy sliced sirloin sits over fluffy couscous with wilted spinach and a bright spoonful of finely chopped lemon. A warm bowl with simple ingredients.
Estimated nutrition
Per portion and for your whole batch. These are ingredient-based estimates, not laboratory-tested nutrition facts. Optional ingredients are excluded.
USDA FDC174055 raw top sirloin separable lean-only, all-grades, is the beef reference. Fat eaten with the steak can materially raise the estimate. Starting edible ingredients and all oil are counted; cooking losses and discarded juices are not measured. Added sugar is bounded by the source total sugar, with no sweeteners used. Missing dry couscous sugar uses the existing disclosed cooked-couscous yield proxy; water uptake changes cooked weight.
| Nutrient | Per portion | Whole batch |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 521 kcal | 2083 kcal |
| Protein | 44.3 g | 177 g |
| Carbs | 55.2 g | 220.9 g |
| Fiber | 6.3 g | 25.2 g |
| Sugars | 2.7 g | 10.7 g |
| Added sugars | 0 g | 0 g |
| Fat | 13.2 g | 52.9 g |
| Saturated fat | 3.3 g | 13.1 g |
| Sodium | 368 mg | 1474 mg |
| Cholesterol | 90 mg | 360 mg |
USDA FoodData Central references. Brands, food varieties, preparation and portion size change the result. Added sugars assume plain, unsweetened ingredients; for prepared breads and sauces, a range shows zero to the reference food’s total sugar because the added amount is unspecified.
Ingredients, sources & assumptions
All listed edible food and oil are counted as eaten. Cooking losses and final cooked weight are not measured. Some ingredients use a stated reference food or a proxy for a missing nutrient. No personalized dietary advice.
Beef, top sirloin, steak, separable lean only, trimmed to 1/8" fat, all grades, raw · 600 g in the original batch
USDA food referenceCouscous, dry · 240 g in the original batch
Missing dry couscous sugar is estimated from USDA cooked couscous: one ounce dry yields 86 g cooked. Other nutrients use the dry reference.
USDA food reference USDA supplementary referenceSpinach, raw · 400 g in the original batch
USDA food referenceOnions, raw · 160 g in the original batch
USDA food referenceLemons, raw, without peel · 60 g in the original batch
USDA food referenceOil, olive, salad or cooking · 25 g in the original batch
USDA food referenceSalt, table · 2 g in the original batch
USDA food referenceBeverages, water, tap, drinking · 360 g in the original batch
Generic USDA tap water reference; local sodium and mineral content varies.
USDA food referenceCalculation version 2. Source records and method are documented in our nutrition guide.
Nutrition guidanceLet’s make it
Amounts below match your selected batch. Follow each short step, and use timers as reminders to check the food.
Equipment
Stovetop
- 1
Prepare the vegetables
Wash hands and use separate clean boards and utensils for raw beef and ready-to-eat food. Do not rinse raw meat. Wash produce before cutting. Keep the beef refrigerated until needed. Chop 160 g onion finely. Remove rind and every seed from the lemon, then finely chop 60 g lemon flesh with its juices. Keep lemon in a clean bowl away from raw beef.
- 2
Sear, check and rest the steak
Pat 600 g trimmed steaks dry. Season with 1 g salt. Heat a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat and add 10 g olive oil. Cook the intact steaks in a single uncrowded layer, about 4–6 minutes per side for 2 cm thickness, adjusting heat to avoid burning. Start checking early with a food thermometer inserted sideways into the center of each steak. Each must reach at least 145°F / 63°C before leaving the pan. Transfer to a clean plate and rest for at least 3 minutes before slicing. Time and color alone do not establish safety. Use more pans or batches for larger portions and allow extra time; keep steak thickness the same.
- 3
Soften onion and spinach
While the steak cooks, heat 15 g olive oil in a medium covered saucepan over medium heat. Cook the prepared onion 6–8 minutes, stirring, until soft. Add 400 g washed spinach and 1 g salt; stir 2–3 minutes until wilted.
- 4
Steam the couscous
Add 360 ml water to the vegetables and bring to a full boil. Stir in 240 g dry instant couscous, cover and remove from the heat. Let stand 5–7 minutes, or the packet time, until tender and the liquid is absorbed. Use instant fine couscous, not pearl couscous. If still firm, add a small splash of boiling water and cover a few minutes longer. Fluff, then stir in the prepared lemon flesh and juices.
- 5
Build the bowls
Once each steak has rested at least 3 minutes, slice across the grain. Divide the couscous mixture and steak evenly among the selected portions. Serve warm.
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Make it work for you
For kids & different preferences
Tough or large pieces of steak can cause choking. Cut tender cooked steak across the grain, then mince or shred finely and moisten as needed for the child’s development. Cook vegetables until soft and cut or mash to a suitable texture. Have children sit upright and supervise throughout eating, never in a moving car or stroller. This is a general meal, not infant-feeding advice.
Storage & packed lunches
Refrigerate in shallow containers at 40°F / 4°C or colder within 2 hours, or within 1 hour above 90°F / 32°C. Use refrigerated leftovers within 3–4 days. Carry packed lunches cold with ice packs.
Freezing & reheating
Freeze cooled leftovers promptly in meal-sized airtight containers for up to 2 months for best quality. Thaw in the refrigerator; vegetables and steak will soften after freezing.
Reheat leftovers to 165°F / 74°C throughout, checking several spots with a food thermometer. Add a little water to prevent drying and stir where possible. Steak may become firmer when reheated.
If something looks different
If steak browns before its center reaches the safe temperature, lower the heat and continue cooking, checking the center. Keep whole steaks the stated thickness when scaling. Crowded pans need more batches and longer total time. Vegetable tenderness and thermometer readings matter more than the suggested minutes.
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Version 1 · Updated 2026-10-24
Bethany’s Kitchen · /recipes/lemon-sirloin-spinach-couscous · Original instructions and generated food illustration for this project; not physically kitchen-tested or human-reviewed.