When I first started making meatballs, I didn't understand that the non-meat 'filler' ingredients are what makes meatballs so good. One of my favourite chefs, Yotam Ottolenghi , uses ricotta in his meatballs and it's a revelation as it makes them beautifully light.
My meatballs are similar to those that Ottolenghi makes, but I like to add sausage meat to mine as well as mince. A full tub of ricotta makes the meatballs very soft, so they need careful handling or they will fall apart in the pan. My preference is to only use 150g of ricotta, so that you still get the lightness, whilst keeping the meatballs intact!
The recipe makes enough meatballs for 6-8 people and the tomato sauce enough for 4. As it's a bit of a faff making the meatballs, I like to make a batch and then freeze half for use another day.
For the meatballs:
3-5 tablespoons of olive oil
1 white onion
2 cloves of garlic
400g beef mince
4 pork sausages
150g ricotta
30g parmesan
50g breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon of dried oregano
1 tablespoon of fresh parsley
1 egg
Seasoning
For the tomato sauce:
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 white onion
2 cloves of garlic
2 x 400g cans of tinned tomatoes
2 tablespoons of sun-dried tomato paste
2 tablespoons of dried oregano
1 bay leaf
Pinch of brown sugar
1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar
Handful of basil leaves
Spaghetti
Parmesan
To make the meatballs:
- Peel the onion and garlic. Finely dice the onion.
- Heat 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil in small pan, over a low to medium heat.
- Add the onion and sauté until the onion is translucent.
- Crush the garlic and add it to the pan. Stir for 2-3 minutes, being careful not to burn the garlic. Then set aside to cool.
- Place the mince in a large bowl.
- Remove the sausage meat from the sausages and throw away the skins.
- Break up the sausage meat and add to the mince.
- Finely dice the parsley and add 1 tablespoon to the meat mixture.
- Grate the parmesan and add that, the breadcrumbs, the sautéed onion and garlic and the oregano to the mix. Stir well (or preferably use your hands) to combine.
- Tip in the ricotta and 1 egg along with some seasoning and mix again until well combined.
- Roll into meatballs and place on a baking tray. Refrigerate for 30 minutes if time allows.
To make the tomato sauce:
- Finely dice the onion.
- Heat the olive oil in a lidded sauté pan or large saucepan.
- Add the onion and sauté until translucent.
- Add the crushed garlic and stir for a further 1-2 minutes, being careful not to let the garlic burn.
- Pour in the chopped tomatoes and red wine vinegar, then stir in the sun-dried tomato paste, dried oregano, bay leaf and sugar. Season well.
- Bring the tomato sauce to the boil then cover, lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
To finish the dish:
- Whilst the tomato sauce is cooking, remove the meatballs from the fridge.
- There are enough meatballs for 6-8 people, so place the meatballs you wish to save for later onto a small baking tray and place in the freezer until frozen. Remove the baking tray from the freezer and put the meatballs into a food bag and return to the freezer for use on another day.
- Heat 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil in a frying pan over a low to medium heat. Fry the meatballs until they are golden brown. Note that the meatballs burn easily if the heat is too high. You may need to fry them in batches.
- Add the browned meatballs to the sauce and spoon some of the thickened sauce over the top of the meatballs.
- Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes until the meatballs are cooked through.
- Whilst the meatballs are cooking, cook the spaghetti according the packet instructions.
To serve:
- Spoon the meatballs and sauce over the drained spaghetti.
- Top with fresh basil leaves and lots of grated parmesan.
