Ingredients
For the meatballs
- 800 g Lean beef mince
- 2 Eggs
- 1 Thick slice of sourdough bread
- 2 cloves Garlic
- 1 tbsp Italian herb blend
- 2 tbsps Dijon mustard
- A good pinch of salt and pepper
For the spicy tomato sauce
- 400 g Plum tomatoes
- 400 g Passata
- 1 Red chilli seeds out and finely chopped
- 2 Garlic cloves finely chopped
- 2 Small white onions finely chopped
- 2 tbsps Balsamic vinegar
- A handful of basil leaves finely chopped
- 100 ml Water
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tbsps Extra virgin olive oil
Garnishing
- Fresh basil
Instructions
For the meatballs
- Pre heat the oven to fan 180℃.
- Blitz the sourdough bread, garlic and Italian herb blend in a food processor until broken down into a crumb like texture. Add it to a large bowl along with the beef mince, eggs, Dijon mustard and a good pinch of salt and pepper.
- Mix well with hands until well combined then roll into balls. This mixture should comfortably make 16 decent sized balls. Place on a parchment paperlined baking tray.
- Set the meatballs aside whilst you prepare the spicy tomato sauce.
For the spicy tomato sauce
- Heat a large skillet on a medium-low heat, once hot, add 2 tbsps oil plus the onion and sauté for 5-7 minutes.
- Add the chilli and garlic and stir for a further minute.
- Add in the plum tomatoes breaking them up as you stir and then add the passata, balsamic vinegar, 100 ml
- of water – season to taste. Bring to the boil then reduce to a simmer. At this point, place the meatballs into the pre heated oven for 10 minutes whilst the sauce simmers.
- Stir through the finely chopped basil before carefully adding the baked meatballs to the sauce. Spoon the sauce over each meatball before placing a lid on the skillet – reduce the heat to low for a further 10 minutes.
- Serve on top of whole-wheat spaghetti and top with fresh basil.
Notes
My side dishes for this evening were spicy honey roasted carrots, steamed broccoli and radish.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 Serving | Calories: 483kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 50g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 206mg | Sodium: 379mg | Potassium: 1450mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 1475IU | Vitamin C: 25mg | Calcium: 80mg | Iron: 8mg
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