A classic Italian dish which I really enjoyed making
Making the meatballs requires a bit of effort but I actually really enjoyed it and I am not always a massive fan of prep work, maybe it's my Italian heritage!
The tomato sauce stews away which covers the meatballs as it cooks, and the meatballs being homemade gave them an extra special taste. I served mine up with spaghetti and topped with a little parmesan cheese as well as a side salad with a home made honey and mustard sauce.
This dish is also good to freeze, particularly as making the meatballs requires some effort. Perfect to batch make and save some for another time.
Italian Meatballs
Serves 5
Ingredients
500g mince meat - a higher % fat is better if you want juicer meatballs
400-500g pork mince (I used sausages and removed them from their casing)
1 white onion diced
1/2 cup grated parmesan (plus extra for serving)
400g chopped tomatoes and 200g passata
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 whole bay leaves
3 tbsp mixed herbs or Italian seasoning
1 cup breadcrumbs
4 garlic cloves, crushed
Directions
In large mixing bowl, mix together half the white onion, mince meat, pork mince, grated parmesan, breadcrumbs, garlic, mixed herbs and seasoning. I used my hands to mix this all up!
Roll the meat mixture into balls, I made 25 balls in total
Heat a frying pan with a little oil, fry off the meatballs until browned. This will most likely have to be done in batches. Set aside.
Add into your slow cooker the canned tomatoes, passata, half of the onion and seasoning, mix well.
Add the meatballs to the slow cooker.
Cook for 8 hours on low or 4 hours on high
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