Spaghetti Meatballs

Cook Time 40 minutes

Servings 4

Ingredients

2 sliced of day-old sourdough, crust removed and torn

⅔ cup milk

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 

1 onion, finely chopped 

3 cloves garlic cloves, finely minced

500g beef mince

500g pork mince

1 egg

3 tbsp ricotta 

¾ cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated

1 x 700g jar tomato passata or 2 x cans of crushed tomatoes 

3 sprigs basil

500g spaghetti 

Salt & pepper

Method

Soak bread in the milk until all the milk has been absorbed.

Heat the oil in a large heavy based saucepan. On medium heat, fry the onion, basil and garlic, until soft, stirring regularly (about 5-8 minutes). 

Now add the tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil then turn down to a low heat and place a lid on. Simmer for 15 minutes.

For the meatballs, add the beef and pork mince to a large bowl with the egg, half of the Parmesan, ricotta, soaked bread (squeeze excess milk out), season the mix with salt and pepper and combine well with your hands. Form the mixture into small walnut sized balls. Heat a large pan, add a splash of oil and fry meatballs in batches. Once caramelised, arrange meatballs in a single layer in the sauce with the lid ajar and cook for a further 20-30 minutes until the meatballs are cooked through and the sauce is thick and rich.

Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Cook spaghetti until al dente and drain, reserving a little of the water the pasta was cooked in.

Toss the pasta through the sauce along with another handful of parmesan and serve.