This Italian recipe of meatballs and ragù is perfect served with linguine pasta, extra Parmesan and crusty bread.
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Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small carrot, finely chopped
- 1 celery stick, finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes
- 250g spinach leaves, washed
- 600g good minced beef
- 50g stale breadcrumbs
- 25g Parmesan, finely grated, plus extra to serve
- Pinch of chilli flakes
- Large bunch of fresh flatleaf parsley, finely chopped
- 1 medium egg, lightly beaten
- 400g linguine
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Method
- Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan, add the carrot, celery, garlic and onion and cook gently for about 4-5 minutes, until beginning to soften. Stir in the tomatoes, rinse out 1 of the cans with 100ml water and add to the pan. Season to taste. Bring to a gentle simmer, then cover the pan and cook for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, put the spinach in a large colander and pour over boiling water to wilt. Cool, then squeeze out the excess water and finely chop.
- Put the minced beef in a large bowl, add the spinach, breadcrumbs, Parmesan, chilli flakes, parsley, egg and some seasoning. Mix together with your hands until completely combined. It should be a firm, moist mixture but not sticky.
- Roll the mixture into small balls, the size of a walnut – you should have about 30 – and drop into the tomato sauce. Shake them down into the sauce (stirring them while they are soft will break them apart) and cook for 35-40 minutes, until the meatballs are cooked through and the sauce is reduced and thickened.
- Cool completely and freeze (see tip) or serve with linguine, cooked according to the pack instructions, and extra grated cheese
Nutrition
- 839kcals Calories
- 28.2g (10.3g saturated) Fat
- 57.2g Protein
- 95.3g (10.6g sugar) Carbs
- 1.4g Salt
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