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Home Dish Pasta and meatballs

Pasta and meatballs

Name: How to cook Pasta and meatballs - cookcic.com
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Us

Introduce

Chef :

Arty Greig

Pasta and meatballs

This is a catch all recipe that I can adapt to suit all family members

Ingredient

Food ration :

4 servings

Cooking time :

30 mins

1 large

onion finely chop 1/3 and roughly chop the other 2/3 and set aside for sauce

500 grams

ground beef or whatever meat you're using

1 slice

white bread made into breadcrumbs in a food processor or use a crust of bread and grate it

1 tsp

herb or spice of choice, I used basil and oregano. your spices/herbs should total 1 tblsp, be careful and use less if you're using chilli powder - 1 tsp is enough

1 tbsp

onion roughly chopped (saved from making meatballs)

2 clove

garlic finely chopped or pressed

400 grams

chopped canned tomatoes in juice or use fresh tomatoes chopped sprinkled with the salt and sugar and left to sit and ooze their juices for about half an hour (skins will come off during cooking so if you don't want them you can skim them off at that point

2 cup

water to add during cooking to keep the sauce loose and ensure it does not burn, it will evaporate during the cooking process

2 tsp

basil & oregano or a herb/spice to complement those you have used in the meatball

1 cup

red wine (optional) i used Chianti to keep this dish Italian

Cooking instructions

* Step 1

Heat oven to 200º

* Step 2

Put all of the ingredients into a bowl and mix thoroughly. I'm making a tomato sauce so any herb or spice can be used. You can also change the meat - try pork mince with a touch of cinnamon and 2 tablespoons of apple sauce or lamb mince with 1 tablespoon of ketchup and 1 tablespoon mint jelly.

* Step 3

With wet hands to stop the meat sticking, form 16 balls, the size of a golf ball

* Step 4

Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper and evenly space the meatballs. As they cook the fat will run off the paper to the tray underneath and the balls will not sit in fat

* Step 5

Put tray in centre of oven and bake for 30 minutes

* Step 6

Now to make the tomato sauce

* Step 7

Put the oil into a saute pan and warm through, add the onions and gently fry until they become transparent

* Step 8

Add the garlic and stir it in for about a minute - You want to allow the oils to come out of the garlic and flavour the dish, but you do NOT want it to burn

* Step 9

Now add the tomatoes and bring it up to a fast simmer over a low heat - stir regularly and add water in to stop the sauce thickening too much and also to stop it from burning

* Step 10

Add all of the seasonings - salt, pepper, sugar, herbs/spices and stir in. Allow the sauce a few minutes to simmer then add the wine if you're using it, otherwise keep simmering and adding the water for another 10 minutes

* Step 11

At this point you have a basic tomato sauce, I'm going to blend mine into a puree, but you can leave it chunky and add in thick cut vegetables during the simmering time such as courgette and red pepper. Or if you like just a nice rustic sauce to serve with your pasta then whilst cooking the onion add chunks of chorizo and lardons (chunks of bacon) then vegetables at the simmering stage

* Step 12

Choose your pasta - I prefer spaghetti but the children like fusilli - you can use any pasta of your choice

* Step 13

Drain your cooked pasta and either pour in the sauce and set it over a low heat to allow the pasta to absorb the liquids from the sauce and add the meatballs whilst stirring gently to ensure there is no sticking or pile up your pasta, arrange your meatballs and pour over the sauce