Spaghetti Bolognese with Meatballs
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Ingredients
For the meatballs
  • 400 g lean ground beef
  • 50 grams parmesan
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon olive olive
  • ¼ tsp dried mixed italian herbs
  • Salt and black pepper
Ingredients for red pasta sauce
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 4 cloves garlic - minced
  • 2 onion - chopped
  • 1 green pepper - cubed
  • 2 sticks of celery
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste
  • 2 x 400g tins of chopped tomatoes
  • A small bunch of fresh basil
  • 50 g Parmesan
  • Some parsley - chopped
  • 400-500g spaghetti
  • More parmesan for topping
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
  2. Place the ground beef in a food processor and grind till smooth.
  3. Transfer the ground beef to a bowl, add the remaining ingredients and mix well.
  4. Once done, roll into balls.
  5. Place on a greased baking tray and bake for 15 minutes.
For the red pasta sauce
  1. Add olive oil to a pot and saute onions and garlic until softened and lightly colored.
  2. Mix in tomato paste and saute for another minute or two.
  3. Stir in the canned tomatoes, celery and add a cup of water.
  4. Season with salt and black pepper.
  5. Turn the heat down and simmer with a lid on for 30 minutes. Keep stirring every now and then.
  6. Keep an eye on the sauce as it cooks, and if it is starting to dry out, add water.
  7. Add more salt and black pepper if required.
  8. Drop in meatballs and simmer for another minute.
  9. Turn off the heat and add 50 grams of grated Parmesan.
For the pasta
  1. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil
  2. Add your pasta and stir, following the packet cooking instructions.
  3. Do not overcook the pasta as it would be nicer that your pasta has a bite to it.
  4. Once the pasta is al-dente, drain the pasta in a colander.
To serve
  1. Place some spaghetti on a plate and pour some sauce over spaghetti.
  2. Scatter with more Parmesan and parsley.
Notes
You can also pan fry the meatballs instead of baking it in the oven.
Instead of making the sauce from scratch, you can also use good quality bottled sauce.
Do make the meatballs though!!
Nutrition Information
Serving size: 6 Calories: 479 Fat: 29g Saturated fat: 13g Unsaturated fat: 14g Trans fat: 1g Carbohydrates: 19g Sugar: 6g Sodium: 963mg Fiber: 3g Protein: 34g Cholesterol: 78mg
Recipe by Maya Kitchenette at https://mayakitchenette.com/better-than-pastamania-spaghetti-bolognese-with-meatballs/