Recently my sister made a comment that TYT.com didn’t have a lot of pasta recipes and I realised she had a point. The ironic thing is pasta is probably my favourite thing to eat. The way to my heart has become a bowl of homemade lobster ravioli in a creamy sauce, or if I’ve had a bad day I immediately think of whipping up tagliatelle topped with grilled chicken and a white wine-cream sauce. The point is I love pasta so much that out of fear of always cooking pasta for The Yummy Truth I have gone to the other extreme and apparently not cooked it enough.
Creamy Lemon Garlic Tagliatelle from www.maplespice.com
Since my sister was browsing TheYummyTruth.com for a recipe to cook for her family I thought that I would make something that would be perfect for her two daughters. Savannah, the eldest now 5, loves spaghetti bolognese so I decided to make spaghetti and meatballs since it would be familiar enough for her to enjoy but I added a few tricks that I think my sister would appreciate. The idea was to put as many different vegetables in the sauce so that it was filled with nutrients but still have the colour and consistency that Savannah would be used to so she wouldn’t hesitate to dig in. There are a few steps in this recipe that can be done by children that I have highlighted using an asterisk in the method below, so if you want to make it a fun cooking exercise you can, just remember to sneak in the veggies in the sauce when the kiddies aren’t looking.
Savannah at age 2 tucking into yoghurt
This recipe is great whether you are cooking for children or not and it is really easy!
In a bowl combine all the ingredients for the meatballs except the breadcrumbs. Mix well and then incorporate the breadcrumbs so that it is dry enough to roll into small bowls.
Put all the ingredients in a bowl
Mix thoroughly
Add breadcrumbs
Roll meatballs
Pork & Beef Meatballs
Vibrant natural colours of all the vegetables
Looks just like regular tomato pasta sauce
Spaghetti and meatballs
Pour the sauce over
Spaghetti and Meatballs
Spaghetti & Meatballs
Live, Love, Eat!
April x
- 62.5 g beetroot, grated
- 2 cups spinach
- 1/2 cup carrot, grated
- ¼ cup red onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, diced
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 1 can diced tomatoes
- 1 fresh salad tomato, diced
- ¼ cup tomato or vegetable juice
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 400 g spaghetti
- ½ cup Parmesan, grated
- 200 g pork mince
- 200 g beef mince
- 1 egg, beaten
- ¼ cup breadcrumbs
- 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- Preheat the oven at 400°F. *
- In a bowl combine all the ingredients for the meatballs except the breadcrumbs. Mix well and then incorporate the breadcrumbs so that it is dry enough to roll into small bowls. *
- Using a large tablespoon, scoop the meat into you hand and roll into about 30 balls. Freeze the meatballs while you prep the ingredients for the sauce. *
- In a large saucepan heat the olive oil over medium heat. Once hot add the garlic and onion so that it can cook for about 3 minutes until the onions become translucent and then add all the other ingredients except the can of tomatoes, spinach and tomato juice. Allow to cook for about 7 minutes before adding the canned tomatoes, spinach and tomato juice, stirring vigorously.
- Bring a pot of water to boil, add a generous amount of salt and cook your spaghetti according to the package’s instructions.
- Put meatballs into the oven and allow them to cook for 12 minutes.
- Drain and rinse the spaghetti in cold water so that it won’t stick.
- Put the sauce into a blender and then transfer back to the saucepan and cook on high heat for another 2 minutes.
- Plate spaghetti, then place meatballs on top, pour the sauce all over and top with grated Parmesan cheese. *
- Steps in the method with an asterisk (*) can be done by young children under adult supervision.
