Spaghetti with meatballs

Spaghetti with meatballs is one of the most popular and traditional pasta dishes. The most famous one to me is spaghetti ragu bolognese. This recipe is also about beef and tomato sauce. However, the way of making beef balls and enjoying them, sometimes playing with them while eating, is a little more interesting.

Tomato sauce for this recipe contains fewer vegetable ingredients. so the original and pure taste of tomatoes are promoted and strengthened. When shopping for tomatoes, I always assure to get the firmest and reddest ones, just to bring out their attractive red color into the dishes I cook, especially when it comes to making tomato sauce.

The beef balls, with the combination of other ingredients, taste very great. They are firm but not hard and still moist inside. I really love this recipe for spaghetti.

Ingredients (4 serving):

Meatballs

- 500g minced beef

- 40g fresh breadcrumbs

- 1 onion, finely chopped

- 2 garlic cloves, crushed

- 2 tsp worcestershire sauce

- 1tsp dried oregano

- 30g plain flour

- 2 tbs olive oil

Sauce

- 800g tinned chopped tomatoes

- 1 tbs olive oil

- 1 onion, finely chopped

- 2 garlic cloves, crushed

- 2 tsp tomato paste (concentrated purée)

- 120ml beef stock

- 2tsp sugar

- 500g spaghetti

- grated parmesan cheese, to serve

Cooking:

- Combine the beef, breadcrumbs, onion, garlic, worcestershire sauce  and oregano in a bowl and season. Mix well. Roll level tbs of the mixture into a balls, dust with flour and shake off the excess. Heat the oil in a frying pan over high heat. Cook the meatballs in batches, turning, until browned all over. Drain well.

- Puréed the tomatoes in a food processor. Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the puréed tomatoes, tomato paste, stock and sugar and stir to combine. Bring to the boild and add the meatballs. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Season.

- Meanwhile, cook the paste in a large saucepan of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain well and return to the pan to keep warm.

- Top the pasta with the meatballs and sauce. Serve with parmesan.