Easy Meatballs

Easy Meatballs

Jamie Oliver’s Easy Meatballs

Ingredients

1 small onion

2 cloves of garlic

1 small courgette

3 chestnut mushrooms

olive oil

200 g lean minced pork or beef

25 g wholemeal breadcrumbs

10 g Parmesan cheese

1 medium free-range egg

1 x 300 g jar of passata

Method

1. Peel the onion and 1 clove of garlic. Coarsely grate them on a box grater with the courgette and mushrooms, then tip everything into a large frying pan on a medium heat with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Cook for 10 minutes, or until softened.
2. Tip the cooked vegetables into a bowl and leave to cool. Add the minced beef or pork into the cooled vegetables along with the breadcrumbs. Finely grate in most of the Parmesan cheese and crack in the egg, then season with a little black pepper. With clean hands, squish and squash the mixture together until it’s all nicely combined. Now wash your hands!
3. With wet hands, take tablespoons of the mixture and shape into 12 little balls. Pop them onto a tray and leave in the fridge to firm up for 10 minutes or so. Wash your hands again.
4. Place a large non-stick frying pan on a medium heat with 1 teaspoon of oil. Add the balls into the pan and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or until golden brown and gnarly all over, turning regularly.
5. Peel and finely chop the remaining garlic clove. Create a little space in the pan in between the meatballs, add the garlic for 2 minutes, then pour in the passata. Give the pan a gentle shake so the balls are evenly coated in the sauce. Simmer for 30 minutes, or until the meatballs are cooked through and the sauce is thick and delicious, stirring occasionally.
6. Meanwhile cook your pasta as per packet instructions.
   
   GO VEGGIE
   Replace the meat with lentils to make easy veggie balls. Simply drain 2 x 400g tins of lentils well, pat dry, and add to the mix, chucking in a few extra breadcrumbs if it feels wet.

   EASY SWAPS
   This recipe uses a mixture of minced meat here, but feel free to choose just one. Turkey, chicken or lamb are super-tasty used here, too.
   
   If you don’t have a jar of passata, simply blitz tinned chopped tomatoes until smooth, or leave chunky if you prefer.

   Switch up the cheese, if you like – bombs of mozzarella, a crumbling of feta or a fine grating of Cheddar or Red Leicester work a treat.

  Throw a handful of frozen peas or sweetcorn into the sauce for an extra veggie boost.