A simple and delicious meal that the whole family will love on chilly autumn evenings
Spaghetti and meatballs are perfect for an autumn dinner(Image: Getty)
Finding meals that satisfy the whole family, don’t require hours in the kitchen, and still tick the healthy eating box can feel like an uphill battle. Thankfully, culinary icon Nigella Lawson has a treasure trove of crowd-pleasing recipes up her sleeve.
As the temperature drops and evenings draw in, there’s nothing quite like a hearty comfort dish to warm the soul – and these meatballs fit the bill perfectly. Straightforward to prepare and absolutely scrumptious, they’re a guaranteed winner.
What’s more, little ones will relish the chance to get their hands dirty rolling the meatballs.
To make these meatballs you will need
For the meatballs
- 250 grams pork mince
- 250 grams beef mince
- One large egg
- Two tbsp freshly grated Parmesan
- One clove of minced garlic
- One tsp dried oregano
- Three tbsp breadcrumbs
- Salt and pepper
For the sauce
- One chopped onion
- Two cloves minced garlic
- One tsp dried oregano
- One tbsp unsalted butter
- One tbsp olive oil
- 700 grams chopped tomatoes or passata
- One pinch sugar
- 100 mls full fat milk
- Salt and pepper
Method
To whip up the meatballs, tip all the ingredients into a large bowl and get stuck in with your hands. Line a chopping board with baking paper and, using your hands once more, shape the mixture into small balls.
Keep them bite-sized – roughly a teaspoon of mince per ball – then arrange them on the baking paper and pop them in the fridge while you crack on with the sauce.
If you’ve got a food processor to hand, blitz the onion and garlic together. If not, a fine chop by hand will do the job just as well.
Melt the butter with the oil in a large, deep pan, then throw in the onion and garlic. Cook on a low to medium heat for around 10 minutes, taking care not to let it catch and burn.
Add your tomatoes, then pour roughly 300ml of cold water into the empty tin or bottle.
Tip this into the pan along with a pinch of sugar, salt, and pepper, and leave to simmer for a further ten minutes.
Stir through your milk, then gently drop in the meatballs. Hold off on stirring them in until they’ve achieved a nice golden-brown colour, as you’ll want to keep them intact.
Let the mixture simmer for roughly 20 minutes, keeping the lid slightly ajar. Dish up over a bed of spaghetti with a generous sprinkling of Parmesan cheese on top.
