Meatballs and spicy tomato pasta

Simple and SO gorgeous, meatballs and pasta with a colourful side salad (always use five or more different salad items) covers a huge range of nutrients.

Prep: 10 mins

Cook: 10-15 mins

Servings: 2

Ingredients

200g of good quality minced beef
1 free range organic egg
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
50g fresh breadcrumbs
2 slices of sourdough bread – crusts removed
30ml whole milk
sea salt and black pepper
a handful of flat leaf parsley – chopped
2 heaped teaspoons of dried oregano
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 small red chilli, chopped
250ml of tomato passata
2 heaped tablespoons of tomato puree
pinch of sugar
linguine or spaghetti, 60-100g per person depending on person size and hungriness!

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 220C.

Cut the bread into cubes and soak in the milk, discarding any unabsorbed milk.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the mince, parsley, one clove of garlic, egg, breadcrumbs, salt and pepper and soaked bread. Mix until firm.

Divide the mix into small balls, slightly smaller than golf-ball size, and evenly place place on an oiled baking tray.

Bake for 8 minutes and drain any surplus oil.

For the sauce:
Heat olive oil in a large frying pan and add the onion, remaining clove of chopped garlic, oregano and chilli and cook for 2 minutes on a medium heat.

Add the passata, 200ml of water, the tomato purée, salt and pepper, then the cooked meatballs and simmer gently until the sauce is reduced by about half.

Serve with linguine or spaghetti, plenty of fresh grated parmesan and some scattered basil leaves.

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Nutrition Info

Beef

Beef is a good source of vitamin B12, which is key for red blood cell production (tuna, salmon and sardines are actually many times higher in B12 though!). It’s also rich in vitamin B3, which helps to convert food into energy, incidentally mushrooms are also high in B3 and included in this recipe. Adding some vegetables raises the fibre and nutrient profile.

Tomatoes

Tomatoes are a brilliant source of vitamin C, which supports skin and connective tissue health as well as immunity and iron absorption. The biotin in tomatoes is good for controlling blood sugar.

The trouble with eating Italian food is that five or six days later you’re hungry again.

George Miller