One skillet, one pot, and you walk out of the kitchen with about twenty well-seasoned meatballs and a big bowl of feta and orzo salad. Enough to fill four or five lunches without feeling like you're eating the same thing every day.

The real advantage: it's meant to be eaten cold or at room temperature. No lining up for the office microwave, no sauce turning in your bag.

It's also a recipe that lets you use up what's left in the crisper drawer. The half cucumber, the cherry tomatoes going soft, the kale you bought with good intentions, the bunch of mint you picked up for one recipe — it all ends up in the bowl. And when the ground beef, feta and vegetables come from a discounted basket you found on FoodHero, the week's lunch bill drops a fair bit.

Here's how to make both, meatballs and salad.

Mediterranean Meatballs

Ingredients

• 650 g ground beef (about 1½ lb)
• 1 egg
• 1 small white onion, finely chopped
• ½ cup breadcrumbs
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
• 2 tsp fresh oregano
• 2 tbsp fresh mint, chopped
• ½ tsp cumin
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tbsp olive oil

Instructions

1. Heat a drizzle of oil in a large skillet.
2. In a bowl, combine the beef with all the other meatball ingredients.
3. Form about 20 meatballs.
4. Place them in the skillet and cook over medium heat.
5. Cook until the meatballs are cooked through and golden underneath, then turn them to cook evenly.

Orzo, Feta and Vegetable Salad

Ingredients

• 1½ cups dry orzo
• ½ cup chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 cucumber, diced
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 cup chopped kale
• ½ red onion, thinly sliced
• ½ cup green olives, sliced
• ¾ cup feta, crumbled or cubed
• ¼ cup fresh parsley
• ¼ cup fresh mint
• 2 tbsp olive oil

Dressing

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp honey
• 1 small clove garlic, minced
• ½ tsp fresh oregano
• Salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Cook the orzo according to package instructions. Drain and let cool slightly.
2. Whisk together the olive oil, lemon, honey, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper.
3. In a large bowl, combine the orzo with all the salad ingredients.
4. Add the dressing and toss.
5. Serve with the meatballs.
6. Garnish with tzatziki if you like, along with mint leaves and a wedge of fresh lemon.

Meal prep tip: Keep the feta and the dressing separate if you're making the salad several days ahead. Add the dressing just before serving and it stays much fresher.

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