Ingredients (serves 4 – makes about 15 meatballs)
For the meatballs
1.5lb Pork mince
½ White onion
1 Slice of bread
1 egg
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 tsp Dried oregano
A sprig of parsley
3-4 Basil leaves
2 tbsp Tomato puree
Salt and black pepper to season
For the sauce
1tbsp Olive oil
½ White onion
1 Carrot, grated
1 Celery stalk, finely sliced
1 tbsp Chopped parsley
2 Garlic cloves, crushed
800g Chopped tomatoes
½ tsp Chilli powder
Salt and black pepper to season
Cooking Instructions
Into a bowl, break the slice of bread into little bits and then grate half an onion into the same bowl. Mix and leave for 10mins – the juice of the onion will soak into the bread, which gives a great texture for the meatballs! After this time, add the oregano, egg, garlic and tomato puree to the bowl and stir together. Then tear the basil and parsley into little bits and sprinkle into the bowl. Add the pork mince, season well and stir together until the mixture is totally combined.
Take a large, heaped tablespoon of the meatball mixture and roll into a ball and place on a plate. The meatballs should be the size of a golf ball. Repeat this process until you have no mixture left and have made approximately 15 meatballs. Leave aside while you begin to make the sauce.
To make the sauce, heat the oil in a saucepan on a low-medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, carrot and celery and allow to slowly fry for 8-10mins until the veg softens and the onion is translucent. Pour in the chopped tomatoes, add the chilli powder and the chopped parsley, cover with a lid and cook for another 10-12mins.
Heat the oil in a large frying pan and add the meatballs. Cook for 8minutes, using tongs to turn occasionally until they are browned all over.
Using a hand blender, blitz the tomato sauce until smooth and then season to taste. Add the meatballs to the sauce for 2-3 minutes and then serve onto a bed of spaghetti. Top with a little added basil and grated Parmesan.