What’s Cooking…? Spagetti and Meatballs
Hello Dear Friends and Readers.
This dish is a rustic old classic, but frankly, never disappointing. I usually double this amount to be sure of having some leftover. It’s even better the next day.
This is how I do it.
What’s Cooking…? Spagetti and Meatballs susies-scraps.com
Ingredients for the meatballs
1 Large finely chopped brown onion
1 large free range egg
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 small bunch of finely chopped parsley
1 tablespoon soy sauce
Mix all ingredients well together. If you have time, cover, refrigerate and allow to marinade for an hour or even overnight.
Ingredients for the sauce
1 bottle tomato passata
2 teaspoons sugar
2 cloves of garlic
freshly ground black pepper salt to taste
10 fresh basil leaves 500g packet spagetti
parmesan cheese to serve
Prepare a large frypan on low to medium heat, with a bit of olive oil. With clean wet hands, rolls into balls about the size of a small handful. Not too big. Add each one to the pan until the pan is full. Keep cooking until they are nicely browned and turn. Brown again. This may take a while. Approximately 20-30 mins. When the meatballs get to sort of a catching stage on both sides (but not burned) so that there is some brown caramelisation in the pan, then add 1 bottle of tomato passata. Allow the sauce to come to a gentle simmer. Move the meatballs around gently in the sauce, to release them and the caramelly bits from the bottom of the pan. Allow to reduce for a while.
Add a couple of teaspoons of sugar, and salt to taste. Just before serving add the finely chopped garlic and fresh basil leaves. Stir in. If you like some chilli, you can add it now too.
Bring a large saucepan of water to rolling boil. add spaghetti. Cook till al dente. Drain.
Serve spaghetti in pasta bowls, top with meatballs and sauce, sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Serve. I promise you’ll come back for this dish again and again!
If you wish to veganise this recipe, replace the meat with cooked barley and the eggs with 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed with 3 tablespoons of water. Instead of parmesan, add some nutritional yeast or some breadcrumbs toasted with a little lemon zest.
Happy cooking.
Susie