Tuscan meatballs and spaghetti

This really easy, low cost Tuscan meatballs and spaghetti recipe, seriously delivers big on flavour – a simple, wholesome dinner for the whole family.

Serves: 6

Time to make: 50 mins

Ingredients

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500g lean pork mince
3 rashers (50g) eye bacon, fat trimmed, finely chopped
1 medium onion, grated
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
½ teaspoon salt
black pepper to taste
4 slices wholemeal bread
¼ cup skim milk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
½ cup cottage cheese
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium red onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
400ml tomato passata
400g can chopped tomatoes
300g dried wholemeal spaghetti
½ cup shaved parmesan, to serve
handful fresh parsley, to serve

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Instructions

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Preheat oven to 220ºC. In a large bowl, combine the first 7 ingredients.
In a food processor, blitz the bread and milk, then add to the pork mixture, along with eggs and cottage cheese. Combine well.
With wet hands, form the mix into 50g balls, you should get about 24. In a large, ovenproof dish, place the meatballs in a single layer then bake until lightly browned, about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a frying pan, heat oil over medium-high. Add onion and garlic and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant. Add pepper, passata and tomatoes and continue to cook while meatballs are browning.
Remove meatballs from oven and turn heat down to 200ºC. Pour sauce over meatballs, return dish to oven and cook for a further 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, bring a large saucepan of water to the boil and cook spaghetti according to packet instructions. Drain and divide among 6 pasta plates. Serve topped with meatballs, parmesan and parsley.

Variations

Make it gluten free: Use gluten-free bread and pasta and check bacon and passata are gluten free

Nutrition Info (per serve)

Calories 503 cal

Kilojoules 2110 kJ

Protein 37 g

Total fat 15 g

Saturated fat 6 g

Carbohydrates 50 g

Sugar 10 g

Dietary fibre 10 g

Sodium 760 mg

Calcium 230 mg

Iron 6.5 mg

Note: This nutrition analysis is a guide only. Nutrition composition will vary depending on the exact ingredients used. See our guides on your optimal daily nutrition intake, and supermarket shopping.