Meatballs are not just a great dinner, they’re a great snack or lunch, too!

They make a great sub sandwich in a half-baguette, too!

Don’t over-mix the meat mixture or your meatballs will be tough!

We’ve served ours with spaghetti.

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Serves 4-5

Ingredients

1kg beef or lamb mince
½kg pork mince
1 cup breadcrumbs
½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 egg, lightly whisked
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp teaspoon dried basil
Olive oil for frying

For the Napoli Sauce:

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can crushed tomatoes
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
Salt and pepper to taste
Fresh basil or parsley, to garnish

Method

Place the beef, pork, breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, parsley, garlic, egg, salt, pepper, oregano, and basil in a large bowl. Gently mix with your hands until just combined.

Form about 2 tbsp of the mixture into balls with slightly wet hands.

Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a large frypan over medium heat. Cook the meatballs in batches until browned on all sides and cooked through. Remove and set aside

To make the Napoli sauce, add a few tbsp olive oil to the same pan, and sauté the chopped onion for about 5 minutes with a pinch of salt until translucent. Add garlic and cook for an additional minute until fragrant.

Pour in the crushed tomatoes, and then add sugar, oregano, basil, salt, and pepper. Stir well to combine and let the sauce simmer for 15-20 minutes to thicken and develop flavours.

Add the meatballs back to the pan, simmer for 5 minutes to heat them. Divide between bowls and garnish with parsley or basil.