In The Kitchen With Kanta : Meatball Pasta

 

 

Meatballs are usually served with spaghetti, but who says that they can’t be served with regular pasta?  Meatball Pasta is a simple feel good, filling meal, perfect for your lunch or dinner; quick and easy to make and even quicker to devour.

There’s no need to go to a fancy Italian restaurant to enjoy this Italian dish; you can make this in the comfort of your own home.

In my years of eating meatballs; made by non-Italians, I have found that a lot of people get it wrong when cooking meatballs.  This is because they don’t know how to make them soft and moist, and tend to overcook them – resulting in hard and dry meatballs. However, my years of watching “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” have taught me a thing or two and I have been able to create my own tasty, moist and flavoursome meatballs.

So without further ado, here’s the recipe.

Preparation  time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Serves: 4 people

Ingredients

• 1 packet of minced beef
• 4 slices of bread (white or wholemeal), cut into small cube-like pieces
• ½ a cup of milk
• 1 egg
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 spring onions, sliced
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• 3 tsp paprika
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp crushed sea salt
• 1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
• 500g of any type of pasta
• Vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• ½ a tin of chopped tomatoes

Method

Use a large pot, and boil about 4 liters of water.  Cover the pot – the water will boil quicker.  Once boiled add salt and add your pasta. Bring to the boil; and cook according to the instructions on the packet.  Drain the pasta and remove from the heat.

In a bowl mix; the minced beef, bread, egg, onion, paprika, garlic powder, sea salt, pepper and milk together – making sure everything is mixed well.  Mould the mixture into about 8 medium – large sized balls.

Add about a ¼ cup (3-4 tablespoons) of vegetable oil to a deep pan, on a medium-to-high heat; cook your meatballs for about 5 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally, until they are brown all over.  Add half of your spring onion and all of your chopped garlic to the pan and brown them slightly.  Now add tomato paste and tinned tomatoes, a tablespoon at a time; constantly mixing. Pour in your remaining tinned tomatoes, reduce to a medium-to-low heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes – until the sauce is thick and the meatballs are cooked through.   Add a bit of water if the sauce becomes too thick.

Serving

Serve hot.  Add your pasta to a bowl, pour your meatballs over and garnish with some parmesan or grated cheddar cheese.  Or add some colour and crunch with your remaining chopped spring onions.

 

Kanta Temba is a cake maker and decorator. She is also the owner and founder of Kanta Kakes – cake shop.

You can find her work on www.kantakakes.com.  Follow her on twitter @KantaKakes and Instagram @KantaTemba.