Spaghetti and parmesan meatballs

Babiche Martens

Spaghetti and meatballs is always a winner. Here, I have combined beef and pork mince with just a few other ingredients to make them delicious. The tomato sauce with fresh basil and balsamic vinegar helps balance the flavours. A good idea is to double the recipe and put half in the freezer for another week.

For the meatballs

450 g	Beef mince (Main)
45 g	Pork mince
1	Small onion, chopped finely
2	Garlic cloves, crushed
2	Eggs
½ cup	Chopped parsley
½ cup	Grated parmesan cheese
½ tsp	Salt and pepper

For the tomato sauce

1 Tbsp	Olive oil
1	Onion, chopped
3	Garlic cloves, crushed
2 cups	Chopped tomatoes
¼ cup	Red wine
1 tsp	Balsamic vinegar
½ tsp	Brown sugar
½ cup	Basil leaves
400 g	Spaghetti
1 cup	Basil leaves, shredded
1 pinch	Grated parmesan cheese, to garnish

Directions

1. For the meatballs, place the mince, onion, garlic, eggs, parsley, parmesan and salt and pepper into a bowl. Mix together well and roll into golf-sized balls. Set aside.
2. For the tomato sauce, warm the oil in a pot. Add the onion and garlic, cooking for 5 minutes to soften. Add the tomatoes, wine, balsamic, sugar and basil leaves. Bring to a simmer for 10 minutes until slightly thickened.
3. Fry the meatballs in batches until browned and cooked through. Add to the tomato sauce.
4. Serve over hot spaghetti with extra basil leaves and parmesan.

More affordable pasta from Angela

• Creamy mushroom and thyme pasta
• Gnocchi with wilted greens