Makes 40 meatballs:
Recipe for the meatballs
500g lamb mince
500g lean beef mince
500g pork mince (I used pork fillet & minced it with my food processor)
2 red onions, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 cup fresh bread crumbs
1 cup chopped parsley
1 cup fresh ricotta cheese
2 tsp smoked paprika
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
3 tsp salt
pepper to taste
for the tomato (marinara) sauce
4 tins chopped tomatoes
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp salt
2 tsp fresh thyme
black pepper to taste
to serve
cooked spaghetti (500g for 4 people)
fresh ricotta
fresh Italian (flatleaf) parsley
- In a frying pan, fry the red onion and garlic in a bit of olive oil, until soft and translucent. When cooked, remove from the pan and set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the meats, cooked onions, bread crumbs, parsley, ricotta, spices, salt & pepper and mix well. To make sure the seasoning is correct, fry a teaspoon of the mixture in the same pan you fried the onions and taste. Adjust seasoning as necessary.
- With wet hands, form golf ball-sized meatballs and place on a tray lined with clingfilm/tin foil. When all the meatballs have been formed, place the tray in the fridge and allow the meatballs to rest for 20-30 minutes.
- Pre-heat the oven to 200°c.
- After 30 minutes, heat a large frying pan and add some olive oil. Fry the meatballs in batched until golden brown all over.
- In the meanwhile, prepare the sauce and pan for baking the meatballs. Simply pour the tinned tomatoes into a large baking dish. Add the sugar, salt, thyme and pepper and mix well.
- As the meatballs come out of the frying pan, place them in the tomato sauce. When all the meatballs are in the tomato sauce, place the baking dish in the oven and allow to bake for 25-30 minutes until the meatballs are cooked through and the tops have darkened slightly.
- Serve the meatballs and sauce over cooked spaghetti and top with more fresh ricotta and parsley.
