These pork, lemon and sage meatballs are served in a spicy tomato sauce for a pasta recipe with a real kick. They can also be made in advance and frozen.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 medium onions, finely chopped
- 700g (about 10) good-quality pork sausages, skinned
- 4 anchovies in olive oil, drained and finely chopped
- Grated zest of 1 lemon
- 6 fresh sage leaves, finely chopped
- 1 large free-range egg, beaten
- Spaghetti and freshly grated Parmesan to serve
For the tomato sauce
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 medium onions, finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 150ml white wine
- 400g tin chopped tomatoes
- 700g jar passata
- 1 tbsp tomato ketchup
- Generous pinch of dried chilli flakes
- Pinch of caster sugar
Method
- 1. For the sauce, heat the oil in a saucepan, add the onion, season well and fry over a gentle heat until softened but not coloured.
- 2. Add the garlic and fry for 1-2 minutes. Pour in the wine, turn up the heat and bubble for 3-4 minutes. Add the rest of the sauce ingredients, bring to the boil, then turn down the heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes until thickened slightly. Add a splash of water if the sauce is too thick.
- 3. Meanwhile, make the meatballs. Heat the oil in a frying pan, add the onion and fry until softened but not coloured. Remove from the heat and leave to cool.
- 4. Tip the cooled onion into a large bowl. Add the sausagemeat, anchovies, lemon zest, sage and egg. Season, then mix until combined. To check the seasoning, fry 1 tsp meatball mixture in a little olive oil until golden brown. Taste and add more salt, pepper, lemon zest or sage if needed.
- 5. Wet your hands, then shape the mixture into 24 walnut-size balls. Chill for 10 minutes on a plate, covered with cling film.
- 6. Preheat the grill to medium-hot, place all the meatballs on a lightly oiled baking tray and grill for 15 minutes, turning, until golden all over and cooked through. Tip the cooked meatballs into the sauce.
- 7. Tip half the meatballs and sauce into a plastic container. Leave to cool, then seal and freeze for up to 3 months.
- 8. Heat the remaining meatballs and sauce over a medium heat until piping hot. Serve with spaghetti and grated Parmesan.
- 9. To cook the frozen meatballs, defrost in the fridge overnight, then heat in a pan until piping hot and serve as in step 8.
Nutritional info
Per serving: 353kcals, 23.3g fat (7.2g saturated), 15.5g protein, 18.6g carbs, 7.7g sugar, 2g salt