Meat balls and pasta is my kind of Saturday lunch. I used chicken mince for these because this is what I had in the fridge and they came out perfect! Serve them with tagliatelli for a Saturday feast. Happy kids, happy parents (you can exchange this lunch with a 2 hour, undisturbed siesta!)
Tagliatelli with chicken meatballs
Pasta and mince are always a delicious feast. Meatballs are more fun! You can replace chicken mince with pork, beef or lamb. A touch of halloumi in the mix goes a long way!
Ingredients
FOR THE MEAT BALLS:
- 500 grams minced chicken
- 1 large onion chopped
- 50 grams halloumi grated
- 50 grams fresh breadcrumbs
- 1/3 cup chopped parsley
- 2 Tbsp chopped mint
- 1 garlic clove smashed
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp paprika
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp oregano
- 1 large egg
FOR THE PASTA:
- 500 grams tagliatelli or spaghetti
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves chopped
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 125 ml white wine
- 400 grams chopped tomatoes from a can
- 400 grams tomato passata
- 35 grams tomato paste
- 2 Tbsp parsley chopped
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp paprika
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
Instructions
- In a large bowl mix all the ingredients for the meat balls. Make about 30 meat balls the size of a walnut. Shallow fry the meatballs in 2-3 Tbs olive oil, turning them to get some colour. Remove from the pan. It’s ok if they are not fully cooked.
- In the same pan, add 2 more tablespoons olive oil. Cook garlic and onion until soft and begin to colour. Add tomato paste and mix. Pour in the wine and let it evaporate for a minute. Add chopped tomatoes, passata, parsley, sugar, paprika, salt and pepper.
- Return meatballs to the pan and let everything simmer for 10-15 minutes until sauce has thickened slightly and meatballs are fully cooked through.
- Mix with the cooked tagliatelli, adding some pasta water if sauce is too thick. Serve at once with halloumi rain.
