
Of course you can buy meatballs but it’s always better and less expensive to make your own. As this is a recipe for the BBC where I have to keep ingredients to under £10 I have used a combination of beef and pork but you can do a lamb beef combination.
This recipe will make 20 fat balls or 30 small ones, it’s always worth batch cooking as these can be frozen. Alternatively, buy a pack of ready made meatballs.
Serve with orzo and bulgur wheat pilaff
Meatballs
400 g beef mince
200 g pork mince
1 red onion, grated
2 cloves garlic, minced
80 g bread crumbs
1 egg, beaten
10 mint leaves, finely chopped
1 tsp dried oregano
1.5 tsp salt
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Sauce
2 tbsp olive oil
400 g tin chopped tomatoes
500 g passata
200 ml red wine
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp dry oregano
1 tsp dry chilli flakes
4 tbsp honey
parsley and mint to serve
Meatballs
Put all the meatball ingredients in a bowl along with a good grinding of black pepper and mix with your hands until the mixture is smooth and well combined. Put the mixture in the fridge for an hour as this makes it easier to mould the balls
Roll the mixture into 20 balls. Preheat the oven to 150C fan.
Sauce
Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and brown the meatballs on all sides. remove to a plate and drain excess oil from the pan. Add the tin of chopped tomatoes, passata and red wine with 1 tsp of salt. scrape any meaty bits left on the bottom of the pan.
Add cinnamon, oregano, chilli and honey, give everything a good stir then pour the sauce into a roasting tin or baking dish. Nestle the browned meatballs in the sauce, cover and bake for 1 hour.
Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes, sprinkle with fresh mint and parsley.
Meatballs in a rich tomato sauce
Ingredients
- 400 g beef mince
- 200 g pork mince
- 1 red onion grated
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 80 g breadcrumbs
- 1 egg beaten
- 10 fresh mint leaves finely chopped
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1.5 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Sauce
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 400 g tin chopped tomatoes
- 500 g passata
- 200 ml red wine
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tbsp dry oregano
- 1 tsp dry chilli flakes
- 4 tbsp honey
- parsley and mint to serve
Instructions
Meatballs
- Put all the meatball ingredients in a bowl along with a good grinding of black pepper and mix with your hands until the mixture is smooth and well combined. Put the mixture in the fridge for an hour as this makes it easier to mould the balls
- Roll the mixture into fat 20 balls or 30 smaller ones and freeze what you don't use. Preheat the oven to 150C fan.
Sauce
- Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and brown the meatballs on all sides. remove to a plate and drain excess oil from the pan. Add the tin of chopped tomatoes, passata and red wine with 1 tsp of salt. scrape any meaty bits left on the bottom of the pan.
- Add cinnamon, oregano, chilli and honey, give everything a good stir then pour the sauce into a roasting tin or baking dish. Nestle the browned meatballs in the sauce, cover and bake for 1 hour.
- Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes, sprinkle with fresh mint and parsley.
Nutrition
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Loved this recipe. So warming and full of flavour.