Meatballs in tomato and red pepper sauce
These meatball with tomato and red pepper sauce is an interesting variation of the famous and popular dish. I used ready-to-cook meatball but you can make them from scratch, using good quality minced beef. The sauce can be prepared in advance and heated up on a busy weekday evening or lazy weekend. Serve it with pasta, rice or just some crusty bread.
Ingredients
Method
- In a large casserole dish heat some oil and gently fry the meatballs until golden brown all over. Transfer them to a plate.
- Meanwhile chop the onion, garlic, celery, carrot and bell pepper, then gently fry these over low heat (after you removed the meatballs from the pan).
- When the vegetables are soft, add the tomato purée, stir for a few seconds, then add the tinned tomatoes. Season with salt.
- Bring to the boil then simmer for about 15 minutes. Stir in the herbs, then using a hand-held blender whiz until you get a thick sauce. Taste it. If it’s not sweet enough, add a small spoonful of brown sugar.
- Return the meatballs, put the lid on and cook for a further 10 minutes or so (you can add some grated mozzarella for the last 5 minutes if you like it gooey). Season with plenty of freshly ground pepper.
- Serve and scatter some Parmesan and/or chopped herbs on top.