Best meatball recipe | Easy pasta ideas | Jamie Oliver (2024)

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Meatballs & pasta

Topped with fresh basil & Parmesan

Topped with fresh basil & Parmesan

“This really easy beef and pork meatball recipe with simple tomato sauce delivers big on flavour – a simple, wholesome dinner for the whole family. ”

Serves 4

Cooks In45 minutes

DifficultyNot too tricky

Jamie's Ministry of FoodMeatball

Nutrition per serving
  • Calories 756 38%

  • Fat 14.9g 21%

  • Saturates 4.8g 24%

  • Sugars 14.6g 16%

  • Salt 1.6g 27%

  • Protein 58.1g 116%

  • Carbs 104.5g 40%

  • Fibre 5.6g -

Of an adult's reference intake

recipe adapted from

Jamie's Ministry of Food

By Jamie Oliver

Tap For Method

Ingredients

  • Metric
  • Netherlands
  • Germany

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  • 12 Jacob's cream crackers
  • 4 sprigs of fresh rosemary
  • 2 heaped teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • 500 g quality minced beef, pork, or a mixture of the two
  • 1 heaped tablespoon dried oregano
  • 1 large free-range egg
  • olive oil
  • 1 bunch of fresh basil
  • 1 medium onion
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • ½ a fresh or dried red chilli
  • 2 x 400 g tin of plum tomatoes
  • 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • 400 g dried spaghetti or penne
  • Parmesan cheese

Tap For Method

The cost per serving below is generated by Whisk.com and is based on costs in individual supermarkets. For more information about how we calculate costs per serving read our FAQS

recipe adapted from

Jamie's Ministry of Food

By Jamie Oliver

Tap For Ingredients

Method

  1. Wrap the crackers in a tea towel and smash up until fine, breaking up any big bits with your hands, then tip into a large bowl.
  2. Pick and finely chop the rosemary, then add to the bowl with the mustard, minced meat and oregano.
  3. Crack the egg into the bowl, then add a good pinch of sea salt and black pepper.
  4. With clean hands, scrunch and mix everything up well. Divide into 4 large and balls, then with wet hands divide each ball into 6 and roll into little meatballs – you should end up with 24.
  5. Place the meatballs onto a plate, drizzle with oil and jiggle about to coat, then cover and place in the fridge until needed – this will help to firm them up.
  6. Pick the basil leaves, keeping any smaller ones to one side for later. Peel and finely chop the onion and the garlic, and trim and finely slice or crumble the chilli.
  7. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat, add the onion and cook for 7 minutes, or until softened and lightly golden.
  8. Add the garlic and chilli, and as soon as they start to get some colour add the large basil leaves.
  9. Tip in the the tomatoes, breaking them up with the back of a spoon, then add the balsamic vinegar, and season to taste. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer until needed, stirring regularly.
  10. Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of oil in another large frying pan over a medium heat, add the meatballs and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or until cooked through, turning regularly To check if they’re cooked, cut one opening – there should be no sign of pink.
  11. Once cooked, add the meatballs to the sauce and simmer while you cook the pasta.
  12. Cook the pasta in boiling salted water according to the packet instructions, then drain, reserving a mugful of cooking water. Return the pasta to the pan.
  13. Spoon half the tomato sauce over the pasta and toss together, adding a little splash of reserved cooking water to loosen, if needed
  14. Transfer to a large platter or divide between bowls, serving the remaining sauce and meatballs on top. Add a fine grating of Parmesan and scatter over the reserved basil, then tuck in.

Tips

If you like a smooth sauce just whiz it in a blender – just give it chance to cool slightly before you do.

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© 2024 Jamie Oliver Enterprises Limited

© 2024 Jamie Oliver Enterprises Limited

Best meatball recipe | Easy pasta ideas | Jamie Oliver (2024)

FAQs

What pasta do Italians eat with meatballs? ›

Polpette Al Forno

"Al forno" simply means "baked in an oven," and it's the most customary way you'll find meatballs and pasta in the same dish together in Italy. While spaghetti and meatballs may not be so common, a casserole-style dish of pasta and meatballs certainly is - think baked ziti!

Is it better to fry or bake meatballs for spaghetti? ›

Baking will result in meatballs with a crunchy exterior, though the caramelisation achieved from frying will be superior. Baked meatballs take the least amount of effort, as you'll only need to turn them once or twice throughout the cook and you can make a larger batch at once.

What do you eat with meatballs pasta? ›

The Traditional, 1950s US thing is a garden salad, and garlic bread.. broccoli or cauliflower or Brussels sprouts are nicer or green beans , parboiled, then sautéed with a bit of garlic..a nice antipasto is always good, too. Originally Answered: What can you serve with spaghetti & meatballs? I go traditional.

Is it better to cook meatballs before adding to sauce? ›

Browning meatballs is the first step in the cooking process. You aren't going to drop them into a pot of sauce raw. Not only will browning them prevent them from falling apart while they simmer in the sauce, it'll develop desirable color and flavor. Color and flavor elevate the dish.

Which pasta is most widely used with meatballs? ›

Spaghetti: The most famous long pasta shape, spaghetti mixes wonderfully with a variety of sauces. It's the classic shape to serve with meatballs.

What are the 4 main Italian pasta dishes? ›

The iconic quartet of carbonara, cacio e pepe, amatriciana and gricia make up the four most famous and beloved Roman pasta dishes. Find out more about them with our handy guide.

What not to do when making meatballs? ›

5 Mistakes to Avoid When Making Meatballs
  1. Not seasoning the meat.
  2. Not adding any moisture to the meat.
  3. Over-mixing the meat.
  4. Not shaping the meatballs correctly.
  5. Not forming evenly-sized meatballs.
May 1, 2019

Is it better to bake meatballs at 350 or 400? ›

If you are making meatballs and are wondering how long you need to cook them, you came to the right place. After all of the Italian meatballs I've been making lately, I consider myself a meatball expert. A good rule of thumb is to bake meatballs for 25-30 minutes at 350 degrees fahrenheit.

Do meatballs get more tender the longer they cook in sauce? ›

As the collagen in the meat dissolves over time, it transforms into gelatin, which not only adds a silky texture to the sauce but also contributes to the overall richness and depth of flavor. The longer the simmer, the more tender and succulent the meatballs become.

Do Italians eat meatballs with their pasta? ›

Although meatballs cooked in tomato sauce and served with pasta is likely what most Americans first imagine when they think of them, this meatball preparation is virtually nonexistent in Italy. In most regions, meatballs are just fried and eaten as is—enjoyed as a snack or served as a second course without any sauce.

Do Italians have meatballs with pasta? ›

The traditional spaghetti and meatballs dinner is a creation of the American household and has no actual roots in Italian culture. Italy does have their own version of meatballs, but they're very different from what we know here. Known as polpettes, they're very rarely eaten alongside pasta.

What is meatball spaghetti called in Italian? ›

However, combinations of pasta with meat date back at least to the Middle Ages, and pasta (including long pasta) dishes with tomato sauce and different types of meatballs are documented in certain Italian regions and in modern Italian cookbooks as maccheroni alle polpette (translated as 'spaghetti with meatballs') and ...

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