Pork & Beef Meatball Spaghetti (Low Fat)

The best thing I like about this dish is that you can miss the effort of having to fry the meatballs in batches and can just bake them all in one go. And not frying means less fat used. I also used both lean beef and lean pork as I am trying to keep things low fat. True, they are a little drier for the lack of fat but as they are served in a lovely homemade tomato sauce you still get the flavour with so much less calories! 

This recipe makes about 30 so its a great one for dinner and then freezing a batch or two for a later date once cooked.

Meatballs in their sauce also goes beautifully with some lovely bread, like a baguette. Sliced and ready to dip into the sauce. A family staple meal of delicious meatballs.

Ingredients:    (Serves 6)

500g pack lean beef mince
500g pack lean pork mince
2 slices bread, chopped (white or brown, crust removed)
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp. olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tbsp. dried parsley
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried basil
salt & pepper
1 egg
2 tbsp. grated parmesan + shavings to serve
fresh basil to serve
spaghetti (100g per person)

Method:

Soak the bread in a small bowl with the milk for a minute. Fry the onion in 1 tsp. of oil until translucent (about 5 mins).  In a large bowl mix the cooked onions and soaked bread with all of the remaining ingredients apart from the fresh basil and spaghetti. Season with salt and pepper and mix until well combined. Cover and put in the fridge for 30 minutes. Then make small balls of the meat mixture, about 1 1/2cm in diameter and put onto a baking sheet covered in greaseproof paper.

Bake in a hot oven set at 220 C for 15-20 minutes, until cooked through and browned. Pop into your favourite tomato sauce or use my recipe below.

For the sauce:

2 onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 red chilli, sliced thinly
2 tins chopped tomatoes
2 tsp. dried basil
2 tsp. dried oregano
2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
2 tsp. sugar
salt & pepper

Fry the onion in a little oil in a pan until cooked. Add the garlic and chilli and cook for another 2 mins. Add the tomatoes, herbs, vinegar and sugar. Add a little water to loosen (about 50ml), season and leave to cook on a gentle heat for 10 mins.

Garnish the whole dish with shaved parmesan and fresh basil. Enjoy!