Summer courgetti & meatballs

Contains pork – recipe is for non-Muslims only

Use a spiralizer or julienne peeler to make spaghetti-like 'noodles', then top with pork meatballs and a garlicky, creamy sauce

  • Prep:15 mins
    Cook:25 mins
  • Serves 4
  • Easy

Nutrition per serving

  • kcal 389
  • fat 28g
  • saturates 7g
  • carbs 7g
  • sugars 6g
  • fibre 4g
  • protein 26g
  • salt 0.2g

Ingredients

  • 400g pork mince
  • 4 garlic cloves, 2 crushed, 2 left whole and unpeeled
  • 2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for frying
  • 400g cherry tomatoes
  • 4 fat courgettes
  • 4 tbsp half-fat crème fraîche
  • zest 1 lemon
  • 50g pine nuts, toasted
  • large handful basil
  • Parmesan shavings, to serve (optional)

Method

  1. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Put the mince in a bowl, season well and add the crushed garlic. Mix together with your hands, then shape into small meatballs – roughly the size of a cherry tomato. Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a large frying pan, add the meatballs and fry for 10-15 mins until golden brown. Meanwhile, tip the tomatoes into a roasting tin with the whole garlic cloves and the remaining oil. Season and roll around the tin until well coated in oil, then roast for 15 mins.

  2. While the meatballs and tomatoes cook, use a spiralizer – I used the finer noodle attachment – or a julienne peeler to create courgette noodles. Once cooked, tip the meatballs into the roasting tin with the tomatoes, fish out the garlic and set aside, then cover the tin with foil to keep warm.

  3. Wash the frying pan. Heat another 1 tbsp oil in the pan, squeeze the garlic cloves from their skins into the pan and mash with a fork. When sizzling, add the crème fraîche, lemon zest and some seasoning. Add the courgetti and toss in the pan for 30 secs until warmed through – any longer and it will wilt. Remove the pan from the heat, and tip in the meatballs, tomatoes and any juices from the tin. Toss together and scatter with pine nuts, basil and Parmesan, if you like.

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