Spanish meatballs in a lightly spiced tomato sauce
I was making some cheeseburgers for a barbecue and I thought that the mixture I was using with some paprika would make some lovely meatballs, so I fashioned a simple tomato sauce to go with them. It's a blend of Spanish and Italian flavours. They are extremely tasty and easy to make and my 2 1/2 year old absolutely adores them, so I thought that I would share the recipe with you.
Ingredients
Serves: 6
- 500g lean beef mince
- 2 very finely chopped onions
- 5 garlic cloves, crushed
- 50g breadcrumbs
- 30g grated Cheddar cheese
- 1 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 fresh red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
- 1 good handful basil
- 800g chopped tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons roughly chopped flat leaf parsley
- 1 tablespoon finely grated Parmesan cheese
Method
Prep:20min ›
Cook:35min ›
Extra time:30min ›
Ready in:1hr25min
- Combine the mince, 1 onion, 2 garlic cloves, breadcrumbs, cheddar, paprika and oregano, mix well, add egg and seasoning to taste; mix well with dampened hands.
- Make as many meatballs as you can at the size you want. Leave to stand in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 180 C / Gas 4.
- Heat the oil in a large frying pan and cook the meatballs for 10 minutes, rolling around to keep their shape and cook evenly until lightly browned all over.
- Transfer the meatballs using a slotted spoon onto a baking tray and cook in the oven for 10 mins while you make the sauce.
- Using the same oil and pan as for the meatballs, fry the remaining onion until just soft and translucent.
- Add the remaining garlic, chilli and basil and cook for 30 seconds.
- Add the chopped tomatoes and balsamic vinegar, bring to the boil and season well with salt and plenty of black pepper.
- Remove the meatballs from the oven and add them to the sauce, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Serve with any pasta, rice and a lovely crusty roll.
Make ahead
You can make the meatballs in advance and keep them in the fridge ready for cooking.
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Reviews & ratings
Average global rating:
(4)
Reviews in English (5)
havent tryed but gonnna try hope its nice - 12 Mar 2013
- 27 Aug 2012
Made as recipe but with fresh herbs and no chilli . Really tasty meatballs and lovely sauce too. Had with rice. - 30 May 2015