Pasta with Baked Meatballs in Garlicky Tomato sauce
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 1079kcal
With just a few simple, low-cost ingredients you can create your own comforting, family-friendly Pasta with Baked Meatballs in Garlicky Tomato Sauce. Serve these easy, delicious meatballs over your favourite pasta.
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 500 g regular minced (ground) beef (not lean mince, see note 1)
- 250 g minced (ground) pork (see note 1)
- 1 large onion, grated
- 60 g panko breadcrumbs
- 1 egg
- 10 g finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus extra to serve (optional)
- 2 tbsp freshly grated parmesan, plus extra to serve
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp freshly cracked black pepper
- olive oil spray, for cooking
Sauce and Pasta
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 700 g tomato passata
- 1 tsp white sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp freshly cracked black pepper
- 350 g pasta of choice (curly fettuccine pictured)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F) (180°C/350°F fan). Line a baking tray with baking (parchment) paper.
- To a large bowl, add the meatball ingredients and combine well using your hands. Measure out a heaped tablespoon of the mixture and roll it to form a ball (just smaller than a golf ball). Repeat with the remaining mixture. If the mixture begins to stick to your hands, moisten your hands with water and continue rolling.
- Arrange the meatballs on the baking tray and spray them generously with olive oil.
- Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown. (Need dinner on the table extra fast with minimal fuss? See note 2 to skip baking.)
- While the meatballs are cooking, prepare the sauce. Heat the olive oil in a large, deep heavy-based pan over medium–high heat.
- Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add the passata, sugar, salt and pepper.
- Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and cook, covered, for 20 minutes. Add the cooked meatballs to the sauce and simmer for 2–3 minutes.
- Cook the pasta as per the packet instructions, less 1 minute – they will cook further in the sauce.
- Stir the cooked pasta through the meatballs and sauce.
- Top with parmesan and parsley and serve immediately.
Notes
Note 1 – The combination of minced (ground) beef and pork gives these meatballs a beautiful depth of flavour. You can use all regular beef (not lean mince, the regular kind from the supermarket is best, it must be at least 20% fat), all pork or all chicken mince, if preferred.
Note 2 – Skip oven-baking the meatballs and add the uncooked meatballs directly into the cooked sauce. Spoon the sauce over the top of the meatballs and simmer over medium–low heat for 20–30 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked through. The meatballs will steam and become amazingly tender. Although the flavour is more intense when oven-baked first, the meatballs are equally delicious using this method.
Make Ahead
Assemble the meatballs as per the recipe. Refrigerate the uncooked meatballs for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Store in an airtight container or reusable sandwich bag. Use baking (parchment) paper between the layers of meatballs to stop them from sticking together. Thaw completely overnight in the fridge and cook as per the recipe.Leftovers
Refrigerate the cooked meatballs for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. For best results, freeze the meatballs and sauce separately from the pasta and reheat them separately. Thaw completely in the fridge overnight prior to reheating.Nutrition Facts
Pasta with Baked Meatballs in Garlicky Tomato sauce
Amount per Serving
Calories
1079
% Daily Value*
Fat
55
g
85
%
Saturated Fat
18
g
113
%
Trans Fat
2
g
Polyunsaturated Fat
5
g
Monounsaturated Fat
26
g
Cholesterol
251
mg
84
%
Sodium
1554
mg
68
%
Potassium
1623
mg
46
%
Carbohydrates
94
g
31
%
Fiber
8
g
33
%
Sugar
13
g
14
%
Protein
52
g
104
%
Vitamin A
1254
IU
25
%
Vitamin C
25
mg
30
%
Calcium
175
mg
18
%
Iron
9
mg
50
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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