Meatballs with spaghetti
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Meatballs with spaghetti

By Good Food

Contains pork – recipe is for non-Muslims only
Cookery and wine writer, Fiona Beckett, shares one of her family’s favourite recipes

  • Prep:30 mins
    Cook:45 mins
  • Serves 6
  • Easy

Nutrition per serving

  • kcal 791
  • fat 38g
  • saturates 12g
  • carbs 77g
  • sugars 7g
  • fibre 4g
  • protein 41g
  • salt 1.4g

Ingredients

  • pack of 8 good-quality sausages
  • 500g pack minced beef
  • 4 garlic cloves, crushed
  • small bunch fresh parsley, finely chopped
  • 3 tbsp dried breadcrumbs
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • plain flour for rolling
  • 4 tbsp sunflower or vegetable oil
  • 2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes
  • pinch sugar
  • 500g spaghetti
  • grated parmesan, to serve

Tip

Make it different
If your family like stronger flavours, use spicy sausages or add 1 tsp paprika to the meat mix. You could also add 8-10 finely chopped green olives. Add ½ tsp paprika to the sauce, too. This is also good served with couscous. You can make double the amount of meatballs and freeze them.

Method

  1. Cut through the skin of each sausage and pull them off. Put the sausage meat into a large bowl with the mince. Add half the garlic, half the parsley, the breadcrumbs and egg, and mix well. Season generously with pepper and a little salt, and mix again.

  2. Sprinkle a chopping board with flour. Scoop out level dessertspoons of the mix, dip them in the flour and roll them into balls. Heat 3 tbsp of the oil in a large frying pan or wok, then fry the meatballs in batches, browning them on all sides. Set aside on a plate. When you’ve fried all the meatballs, pour away any excess fat. Rinse and dry the pan.

  3. Pour the remaining oil into the pan, heat for 1 min then add the remaining garlic and fry for a few seconds. Tip in the tomatoes and break them down with a fork or wooden spoon. Cook over a moderately high heat for 5 mins until jammy. Season with salt, pepper and a little sugar.

  4. Tip in the meatballs and turn them over in the sauce, ensuring they’re all covered. Cover the pan and cook the meatballs on a low heat for about 30 mins, spoon over the sauce occasionally and add a little water if it’s becoming too dry. 15 mins before the end of the cooking time, cook the spaghetti. To serve, stir most of the remaining parsley into the sauce then spoon the meatballs and sauce over the spaghetti. Scatter with last of the parsley and serve Parmesan on the side.

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