Italian-style Homemade Meatballs in a Tomato Passata with Spaghetti

Meatballs & Spaghetti

This delicious recipe is easy to make, and both the meatball mixture and passata can be prepared or even made ahead ready to re-heat and assembled to serve. 

To make the meat go a little further, add more breadcrumbs and onion.

Ingredients:

Serves 4

• 500gm Mince
• 1 - 1.5 cups breadcrumbs
• 1 egg, whisked
• 1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• Chopped parsley
• 1 425 gm can tomatoes (cheapest)
• 1 tbsp Tomato paste
• 1 cup vegetable stock (liquid or cube)
• Pasta
• Pork lard to fry (about 1 tablespoon)
• Ground salt and black pepper
• Pinch or two of white sugar
• 1/4 cup reserved pasta cooking water
• chopped parsley
• grated parmesan to your taste

Method:

In a bowl, whisk the egg.  Add 1/2 the finely chopped onion, 1 clove crushed garlic and mince. Mash together with a fork. Add the breadcrumbs and mix through until combined and binds together in a 'dry' ball.

Form the meat mixture into balls of your preferred size. Smaller is easier to manage.

Melt the lard in a high-sided large pan on medium-high.  Fry the meatballs in small batches, turning on each side.  Remove from the pan and set aside.

In the same pan on medium heat, add the remaining onion and crushed garlic with a little more pork lard.  Fry until golden brown.  Add canned tomatoes, tomato paste, vegetable stock, sugar, salt and pepper.  Cook through and allow the mixture to reduce to a thick passata.

While the spaghetti is cooking add the meatballs gently back into the pan with the passata.  Baste meatballs gently with the passata.

Cook spaghetti according to packet instructions.

Toward the end of cooking drain 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking liquid and drizzle it over the passata and meatballs, gently mixing in around the meatballs.

Drain the pasta (without rinsing), place on warmed plates spooning the meatballs and passata over the top.

Serve with grated parmesan and chopped parsley.