Spaghetti with meatballs in tomato Sauce
Spaghetti with meatballs in tomato sauce is a famous Italian dish, loved all around the world. This version uses shop-bought meatballs, so you only have to make the tomato sauce, which can be prepared well in advance (or use any leftover sauce!). This is a perfect midweek dish for the family.
Ingredients
Method
- First make the tomato sauce : Chop the onion and garlic.
- Heat the oil in a shallow pan, and gently fry the onion until soft. Add the garlic and cook for another minute, then add the oregano and the tinned tomatoes. Break the tomatoes up with a wooden spoon and add the sugar and a drop of water. Bring to the simmer and reduce it a thick sauce then turn off the heat. Stir in the basil, and set aside with a lid on.
- Meanwhile preheat the oven to 200˚C. Chop the pepper and onion into 1-2cm pieces. Cut the tomatoes in half. Place these in a roasting tin. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Place the meatballs on top and bake for 15 minutes.
- Pour the tomato sauce over the meatballs, toss gently. Return it to the oven and cook for a further 10 minutes or so, until the meatballs are cooked and the sauce is hot and sticky.
- Meanwhile, bring a large pan of lightly salted water to the boil. Add the spaghetti and cook according to the instructions on the packaging. Drain and keep warm in the pan.
- Serve the spaghetti tossed with the meatball mixture and some grated Parmesan and/or chilli flakes if you like.