Fennel and herb meatball rigatoni
- Preparation and cooking time
- Total time
- Easy
- Serves 4
- 50g soft breadcrumbs
- 2 tbsp milk
- 250g beef mince
- 250g pork mince
- 1 oniongrated
- 1 eggbeaten
- 1 tsp fennel seedscrushed
- a handful basilchopped
- a handful flat-leaf parsleychopped
- olive oil
- 2 cloves garliccrushed
- 400g tin chopped tomatoes
- 250ml passata
- 1 tsp golden caster sugar
- 1 tsp red wine vinegar
- butter
- 400g rigatonicooked to serve
- kcal725
- fat23.6g
- saturates8.4g
- carbs82.9g
- sugars11.4g
- fibre8.3g
- protein41.3g
- salt0.5g
Method
step 1
Put the breadcrumbs in a bowl. Pour over the milk and mix.
step 2
Add both minces, onion, egg, fennel seeds, most of the basil and all of the parsley. Season really well and mix.
step 3
Divide into around 30 portions of 1 tbsp each and roll each into a small meatball.
step 4
Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large, non-stick frying pan and fry the meatballs in batches until they are browned all over, then scoop out onto a plate.
step 5
Fry the garlic in a drizzle of oil in the same pan, add the chopped tomatoes, passata, sugar and vinegar, and simmer for 20 minutes until the sauce is thickened.
step 6
Season well. Add the meatballs back into the sauce and cook for 10-15 minutes until the meatballs are cooked through.
step 7
Stir in a knob of butter and the rest of the basil. Serve with rigatoni.