The ultimate red wine pasta.
We’ve teamed up with home cook and pasta queen Jessica Nguyen once again to bring you a winter warmer pasta dish that is sure to impress.
“Spaghetti Meatballs is not a traditional Italian recipe and more of an American Italian recipe, similar to Pasta Alla Vodka. Traditionally meatballs aren’t served in pasta form or spaghetti for that matter but regardless of origin it is still an iconic and delicious dish (Hello Lady and the Tramp!).
In my version of the recipe, I’ve used a mix of beef and pork so you get the flavour and fat of both proteins. I’ve also used breadcrumbs in the mixture which makes the meatballs tender. The key is to brown the meatballs in a pan first to get maximum flavour.”
Serves - 6
Cooking time - 1 hour
Skill Level - Easy
Ingredients for pasta sauce
1 packet 500g spaghetti 2 cans of tomatoes or passata 1 tablespoon of tomato paste 1 large red onion, finely chopped 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped 3-4 bay leaves 1 tablespoon of salt and sugar 1 tablespoon of fish sauce 1/2 cup of good quality red wine
Ingredients for meatballs
1kg of mince meat, a mixture of beef and pork works best 3 cloves of garlic 2 slices of day old bread ⅓ cup of grated parmesan 1 tablespoon of chilli flakes or chilli oil 1 teaspoon of oregano 1 teaspoon of dried basil 2 eggs 1 tablespoon of olive oil 1 pinch of nutmeg (optional)
Method
Prepare your breadcrumbs by soaking the bread in water and allow to stand for 5 minutes. Once rehydrated, wring out all the water. Roughly chop or crumble using your hands and then add to a bowl with all of the meatball ingredients, including the mince meat, a half of your onion, garlic, parmesan, chilli oil or flakes, oregano, nutmeg, basil and eggs. Use your hands to combine all ingredients until you get a smooth meatball mixture. Lightly oil your hands with olive oil and begin shaping into golf ball sized meatballs. Heat a pan with olive oil and begin searing your meatballs in batches until golden brown all over. Make sure you don’t overcrowd your pan, otherwise your meat will steam rather than brown. Remove from the pan and set aside. Reheat the pan and add your garlic and onions, cooking on medium for 3 minutes until soft and translucent. Then add your tomato paste and cook for another 2 minutes until dark red. Add your tomatoes and rinse the can/jar with half a cup of water and tip that into the pan as well. Bring to the boil. Add in your wine and allow the alcohol to cook off for 2 minutes. Add in your bay leaves, fish sauce and sugar and bring to a simmer. Then, add your meatballs back into the sauce and allow to cook/simmer for a further 30 minutes (at minimum) to an hour. Cook your spaghetti until al dente and then add to your pan with some pasta water and allow to soak in the sauce for about 3 minutes. Transfer to a large platter and top with freshly grated parmesan, chilli oil and cracked pepper.
