Baked meatballs with tomato and penne
2 hours 30 min
Moreish pork and beef mince meatballs made with parsley, garlic and breadcrumbs, served with a homemade tomato sauce. Great served over penne or your favourite pasta. Both the sauce and the meatballs can be made in advance and chilled.
3 people made this
Ingredients
Serves: 2
- For the meatballs
- 150g pork mince
- 150g lean beef mince
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 1 slice bread, processed in a food processor for fresh breadcrumbs
- 1 tablespoon tomato puree
- salt and pepper to taste
- For the sauce
- olive oil
- 1 onion, minced or 2 French shallots, minced
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 125ml beef stock
- good glug white wine
- 1 (400g) tin chopped tomatoes
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon tomato puree, or to taste
- 1 good pinch oregano
- olive oil, for frying
- 1 knob butter
- fresh chopped basil and parsley for garnish (optional)
Method
Prep:30min ›
Cook:2hr ›
Ready in:2hr30min
In a bowl combine the meatball ingredients and mix well using your hands. Shape into balls slightly smaller than a ping pong ball. Put on a plate, cover and chill for 30 minutes.- Meanwhile, make the sauce. Heat a heavy based saucepan with oil and cook the onion until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and cook for a few minutes.
- Stir in the stock and wine, bubble for a moment then add the tomatoes, salt and pepper, tomato puree and oregano.
- Bring to the boil then immediately turn the heat down to a simmer. Simmer very gently for 90 minutes. Keep an eye on the sauce as you do not want it to be too thick. Add a splash of water or two if necessary.
Preheat the oven to 150 C / Gas 2.- Remove the meatballs from the fridge. Heat a frying pan with olive oil over medium to low heat. Add the meatballs and brown all over. Place on a non-stick baking tray
- Bake in the preheated oven until no longer pink at the centre, about 30 minutes.
- Just before serving the sauce, stir the butter through the sauce. Serve the meatballs on a bed of tomato sauce garnished with basil over penne pasta or spaghetti.
