RECIPE: Tagliatelle with chilli meatballs

Ingredients

• 500 g lamb or beef mince
• 1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon pine nuts
• 2 teaspoons chopped oregano
• 1 long red chilli, chopped
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 tablespoon olive oil 375 g tagliatelle or other pasta of choice, cooked and drained
• oregano leaves
• grated fresh parmesan, crusty bread and green salad to serve

Rich tomato sauce

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 400 g can diced tomatoes
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1/2 cup salt-reduced chicken stock
• 1/4 cup semi-dried tomatoes 1 tablespoon tomato paste 1 teaspoon brown sugar

Method:

1. Place all the ingredients except the oil and pasta into a large mixing bowl. Mix thoroughly and form into walnut-sized balls. You should make around 24 meatballs from the mixture.
2. Heat a large non-stick frying pan on high. Add the oil and cook the meatballs in 2 batches for 4–5 minutes, turning until evenly browned. Drain on a paper towel.
3. To make the sauce, heat oil in a heavy-based saucepan on high. Sauté the onion and garlic until tender. Stir in the tomatoes, wine, stock, semi-dried tomatoes, paste and sugar. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
4. Add the meatballs to the sauce and simmer for 10–15 minutes until cooked through (add a little more liquid to the sauce if it becomes too thick).
5. Toss the sauce through the hot pasta and serve immediately, sprinkled with a few oregano leaves and a little grated parmesan. Serve with crusty bread and green salad.

NUTRITION ANALYSIS 1 serve (including 1 slice bread and a generous serve of salad) = 2900 kJ, 23 g fat (includes 5 g saturated fat), 8 g fibre, 380 mg sodium

(C) Reproduced from Zest by Catherine Saxelby and Jennene Plummer, rrp $34.95