SPAGHETTI AND MEATBALLS
Spaghetti and meatballs is one of the sexiest meals you can make for someone, so much so, it can even make two dogs sharing a meal look romantic.
Spaghetti and meatballs is one of the sexiest meals you can make for someone, so much so, it can even make two dogs sharing a meal look romantic. This is how I like to make it. The meatballs are tender and juicy with a good level of caramelisation on the outside, and the sauce is full of flavour, ready to be picked up by the pasta. Spaghetti is clearly the choice here, but you can use any pasta shape you like—they’ll love you the same.
Ingredients
Meatballs:
400g beef mince
400g pork mince
1 egg
5 cloves garlic
5 tbsp breadcrumbs
100ml milk
5 sprigs parsley
10 basil leaves
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
50g Parmesan
Sauce & Pasta:
50g chorizo
1 white onion
2 shallots
2 large carrots
2 sticks celery
6 cloves garlic
75ml olive oil
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp smoked paprika
600g passata
300ml beef stock
50ml soy sauce
20 basil leaves
5 sprigs parsley
1 bay leaf
1 tbsp oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
400g spaghetti
100ml pasta water
50g Parmesan
Basil leaves and extra Parmesan, for garnish
Method
Step 1: Start by making the meatballs, it’s pretty straightforward. Tip: I like using a mix of pork and beef mince for both flavour and texture; using only beef tends to make them drier. A key step for tenderness is soaking the breadcrumbs in milk before mixing. Combine all the meatball ingredients in a bowl and mix thoroughly.
(Optional: pan-fry a small piece of the mix to test seasoning — my mum used to taste it raw, but I know that’s not for everyone.)
Meatball size is up to you—I go for medium to large. This recipe made 12 even-sized meatballs.
Step 2: Place the meatballs under the grill at 220°C until nicely coloured on one side, then flip and repeat. This should take 5–10 minutes per side. Don’t worry about cooking them through, they’ll finish in the sauce. (You can pan-sear instead, but grilling is less labour-intensive and lets you prep the rest.)
Step 3: Cut the chorizo into small cubes, place in a cold pan, then turn the heat to medium.
Step 4: Once the chorizo is crispy and has released its fat, remove it and set aside.
Step 5: Finely dice the onion, shallots, and celery, and grate the carrots (grated carrot softens quicker and melts into the sauce).
Step 6: Add the veg to the pan with the chorizo oil, the olive oil, and a pinch of salt. Sauté over low-medium heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. The salt draws out moisture and prevents burning. Tip: Don’t skimp on olive oil, this is where the flavour starts building.
Step 7: Finely chop the garlic and add it to the pan. Cook for 2 minutes, then stir in the tomato paste and smoked paprika. Cook for another 5 minutes to bring out the sweetness in the paste and remove bitterness.
Step 8: Add passata, beef stock, soy sauce, herbs, bay leaf, salt, and pepper.
Tip: Don’t add too much salt yet, we’ll finish with salty pasta water later.
Step 9: Add the meatballs to the sauce. Scrape up any fond from the pan they were cooked in (you can loosen it with a splash of hot beef stock), and pour that into the sauce too.
Step 10: Simmer on low for 2 hours. You want a gentle bubble, don’t let it boil hard.
Step 11: When you're ready to eat, cook the pasta according to package instructions in salted water. Tip: I like to use a fresh pan for this next step, so I can make one portion now and save the rest for later.
Step 12: Add some sauce to the fresh pan along with cooked pasta, Parmesan, and a splash of pasta water. Toss to coat, top with meatballs, and finish with fresh basil, chorizo and more Parmesan.
i love adding spicy nduja to my spaghetti