After some inspiration from the guys on the Accidental Tech Podcast the other day, I had to make some meatballs and sauce for myself!

I cruised a few different sites looking for a good recipe and most of them were something along the lines of “beef, with enough egg to bind them, and flavours, so I went with what looked good on the shelf.

It definitely worked out well, the smoky paprika was a freaking tasty addition to the meatballs, and the combination of ingredients suffused the house with a delightfully rich aroma, perfect for a “chilly” winter night in Brisbane.

Meatballs

Ingredients

• 1.2kg mince
• 1tsp smokey hungarian paprika
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 4 eggs
• 2/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees celcius.
2. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl.
3. Take 1/3 cup of the mix per meatball and shape into… balls.

   

4. Roll in breadcrumbs and arrange on a well-oiled baking pan.
5. Cook them for about 20 minutes (and start making the sauce!)
6. When they’ve gone brown, take them out of the oven and drain on a plate until the sauce is ready.

Sauce

Ingredients

• Four cans of crushed tomatoes
• Four cloves of garlic
• 1 tbsp of basil pesto

Method

When cooking this, make sure to have a saucepan large enough to take the sauce AND the meatballs.

1. Peel and finely chop the garlic.
2. Fry the garlic in olive oil until it’s transparent.
3. Add pesto and fry for 30 seconds until it’s aromatic.
4. Add the tomatoes and bring to the boil.
5. Cook, stirring continuously.
6. Keep going like this until you’re half an hour from being too hungry to go on, then drop in the meatballs.
7. When it’s ready, serve with loads of sauce and cheese.