Name: Meatballs in sundried tomato and spinach sauce
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 16 beef meatballs; 1 red onion; 2 stick of celery; ½ red pepper, optional; 1 carrot; 1 tsp Italian mixed herbs; 1 clove of garlic, chopped; 500 ml passata; 1 beef stock cube; 3 large handfuls of baby spinach; 5 sundried tomatoes; Fresh herbs, optional

Meatballs in sundried tomato and spinach sauce

22 Apr 2023

by Dinna

Prep Time

5 minutes

Cook Time

25 minutes

Total Time

30 minutes

Background

You can make these meatballs in sundried tomato and spinach sauce, using ready-to-cook or frozen meatballs, or you can create your own meatballs, which isn’t that difficult (just mix some minced meat with herbs, garlic, salt&pepper, perhaps breadcrumbs or an egg). Serve this dish with pasta, gnocchi or boiled/baked potatoes.

Ingredients

16 beef meatballs
1 red onion
2 stick of celery
½ red pepper, optional
1 carrot
1 tsp Italian mixed herbs
1 clove of garlic, chopped
500 ml passata
1 beef stock cube
3 large handfuls of baby spinach
5 sundried tomatoes
Fresh herbs, optional

Instructions

Finely chop the onion, celery, carrot and red pepper.
Heat the oil in a large saucepan and fry the meatballs for 5-8 minutes, then transfer them to a plate.
Add more oil to the pan, if needed, then gently sauté the chopped vegetables for about 8 minutes, then add the garlic & dried herbs and cook for another minute.
Add the passata, then rinse out the bottle with some water and add this to the pan too (about 200 ml). Add the stock cube and bring to the boil.
Cook for about 10 minutes, then add the spinach and let it wilt under a cover.
Add the sundried tomatoes and process it with a hand-held blender. You can add some fresh herbs too, such as basil, parsley, coriander, dill etc. If it’s too thick, add more stock.
Put back the meatballs and reheat. Cook for about 10 minutes, then serve.