RecipesDinner
Dinner
Beef Meatballs in Tomato Sauce
Garlicky beef and parmesan meatballs simmered in tomato sauce until it thickens around them, scattered with basil. They freeze well, sauce and all.
- Serves
- 3
- Prep
- 20min
- Cook
- 35min
- Total
- 55min
Programs: Fat Loss, Muscle Gain, Maintenance, Blood Sugar
Per serving
- Calories
- 549kcal
- Protein
- 44.4g
- Carbs
- 30g
- Fat
- 27.7g
- Fibre
- 5g
Ingredients
For 3 servings · MetricUS
- 500gbeef mince, 5%
- 1egg
- 45gbreadcrumbs
- 35gparmesan, finely grated
- 3 clovesgarlic, minced2 for the meatballs, 1 for the sauce
- 1 tbspfresh basil, choppedplus extra to serve
- 1 tspdried oregano
- 1onion, finely diced
- 700gpassata
- 1 tbsptomato puree
- 1 tbspolive oil
- salt and black pepperto taste
- 1 lbground beef, 93/7
- 1egg
- 1/3 cupbreadcrumbs
- 0.4 cupparmesan, finely grated
- 3 clovesgarlic, minced2 for the meatballs, 1 for the sauce
- 1 tbspfresh basil, choppedplus extra to serve
- 1 tspdried oregano
- 1onion, finely diced
- 24 oztomato sauce (passata-style)
- 1 tbsptomato paste
- 1 tbspolive oil
- salt and black pepperto taste
Method
Make the meatball mixture.
In a large bowl, combine the beef mince, egg, breadcrumbs, parmesan, 2 minced garlic cloves, basil and oregano.
Season with salt and pepper. Mix by hand just until it comes together. Stop as soon as the mix holds, since overworking beef mince makes for a tight, dense meatball.
Shape the meatballs.
Roll into 12 meatballs, about the size of a golf ball.
Brown the meatballs.
Heat the olive oil in a large, deep pan over medium-high heat.
Brown the meatballs in batches for 2 to 3 minutes per side, until coloured all over but not cooked through. Set aside on a plate.
Build the sauce.
Lower the heat to medium. Add the diced onion to the same pan and cook for 5 minutes, scraping up the browned bits from the base of the pan as it softens.
Add the remaining garlic clove and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant. Stir in the tomato puree and cook for 1 minute to deepen its colour.
Pour in the passata, season with salt and pepper, and bring to a gentle simmer.
Simmer together.
Nestle the meatballs back into the sauce.
Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 20 minutes, turning once or twice, until cooked through and the sauce has thickened around them.
Finish and serve.
Taste and adjust the seasoning. Scatter with extra basil and serve a third of the meatballs and sauce per person, with a crunchy house side salad alongside.