Best meatball recipe | Easy pasta ideas | Jamie Oliver (2024)

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Meatballs & pasta

Topped with fresh basil & Parmesan

Topped with fresh basil & Parmesan

“This really easy beef and pork meatball recipe with simple tomato sauce delivers big on flavour – a simple, wholesome dinner for the whole family. ”

Serves 4

Cooks In45 minutes

DifficultyNot too tricky

Jamie's Ministry of FoodMeatball

Nutrition per serving
  • Calories 756 38%

  • Fat 14.9g 21%

  • Saturates 4.8g 24%

  • Sugars 14.6g 16%

  • Salt 1.6g 27%

  • Protein 58.1g 116%

  • Carbs 104.5g 40%

  • Fibre 5.6g -

Of an adult's reference intake

recipe adapted from

Jamie's Ministry of Food

By Jamie Oliver

Tap For Method

Ingredients

  • Metric
  • Netherlands
  • Germany

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  • 12 Jacob's cream crackers
  • 4 sprigs of fresh rosemary
  • 2 heaped teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • 500 g quality minced beef, pork, or a mixture of the two
  • 1 heaped tablespoon dried oregano
  • 1 large free-range egg
  • olive oil
  • 1 bunch of fresh basil
  • 1 medium onion
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • ½ a fresh or dried red chilli
  • 2 x 400 g tin of plum tomatoes
  • 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • 400 g dried spaghetti or penne
  • Parmesan cheese

Tap For Method

The cost per serving below is generated by Whisk.com and is based on costs in individual supermarkets. For more information about how we calculate costs per serving read our FAQS

recipe adapted from

Jamie's Ministry of Food

By Jamie Oliver

Tap For Ingredients

Method

  1. Wrap the crackers in a tea towel and smash up until fine, breaking up any big bits with your hands, then tip into a large bowl.
  2. Pick and finely chop the rosemary, then add to the bowl with the mustard, minced meat and oregano.
  3. Crack the egg into the bowl, then add a good pinch of sea salt and black pepper.
  4. With clean hands, scrunch and mix everything up well. Divide into 4 large and balls, then with wet hands divide each ball into 6 and roll into little meatballs – you should end up with 24.
  5. Place the meatballs onto a plate, drizzle with oil and jiggle about to coat, then cover and place in the fridge until needed – this will help to firm them up.
  6. Pick the basil leaves, keeping any smaller ones to one side for later. Peel and finely chop the onion and the garlic, and trim and finely slice or crumble the chilli.
  7. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat, add the onion and cook for 7 minutes, or until softened and lightly golden.
  8. Add the garlic and chilli, and as soon as they start to get some colour add the large basil leaves.
  9. Tip in the the tomatoes, breaking them up with the back of a spoon, then add the balsamic vinegar, and season to taste. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer until needed, stirring regularly.
  10. Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of oil in another large frying pan over a medium heat, add the meatballs and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or until cooked through, turning regularly To check if they’re cooked, cut one opening – there should be no sign of pink.
  11. Once cooked, add the meatballs to the sauce and simmer while you cook the pasta.
  12. Cook the pasta in boiling salted water according to the packet instructions, then drain, reserving a mugful of cooking water. Return the pasta to the pan.
  13. Spoon half the tomato sauce over the pasta and toss together, adding a little splash of reserved cooking water to loosen, if needed
  14. Transfer to a large platter or divide between bowls, serving the remaining sauce and meatballs on top. Add a fine grating of Parmesan and scatter over the reserved basil, then tuck in.

Tips

If you like a smooth sauce just whiz it in a blender – just give it chance to cool slightly before you do.

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recipe adapted from

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© 2024 Jamie Oliver Enterprises Limited

© 2024 Jamie Oliver Enterprises Limited

Best meatball recipe | Easy pasta ideas | Jamie Oliver (2024)

FAQs

Which pasta is most widely used with meatballs? ›

Orecchiette: Known as small ears, orecchiette pasta derives from Puglia. They are often served with oil-based sauces and especially popular with broccoli rabe and sausage. Spaghetti: The most famous long pasta shape, spaghetti mixes wonderfully with a variety of sauces. It's the classic shape to serve with meatballs.

Are meatballs better baked or cooked in sauce? ›

Letting your meatballs cook on the stove in a simmering sauce is the way to go. You'll end up with the most tender meatballs because as they simmer they soak up so much of that tomato sauce.

How do Italians serve meatballs? ›

In Italy, meatballs are most often a stand-alone dish. Called polpettes, Italian meatballs are often served sauceless and are much smaller than the meatballs you're probably used to. Traditional Italian meatballs typically contain equal portions of meat and soaked bread, and other additions such as egg and vegetables.

What pasta do Italians use the most? ›

The most popular dried pasta in Italy is Barilla, which has recently become more widely available in the United States. Like all Italian dried pasta, it is made under rigid Government controls from hard durum-wheat flour, called semola di grano duro in Italian and semolina in English.

What's the difference between Italian style meatballs and regular meatballs? ›

Italian-style meatballs often include additional ingredients such as milk, olive oil, ground pork, fresh parsley, red pepper flakes, Italian herb seasoning, and sometimes a combination of ground beef, veal, and pork [2].

What not to do when making meatballs? ›

5 Mistakes to Avoid When Making Meatballs
  1. Not seasoning the meat.
  2. Not adding any moisture to the meat.
  3. Over-mixing the meat.
  4. Not shaping the meatballs correctly.
  5. Not forming evenly-sized meatballs.
May 1, 2019

What does Bobby Flay put in his meatballs? ›

3-Meat Combo

Bobby Flay's meatball recipe calls for an even combination of ground beef, pork, and veal which makes for the best flavor and texture.

What is the secret of a tender meatball? ›

They are super flavorful but what makes them so so tender and moist is this: Plain Greek Yogurt. The lactic acid from the yogurt tenderizes the meat while adding subtle flavor. The addition of egg and parmesan cheese help keep the meat together so that you get delicious weeknight meatballs in minutes.

Is it better to bake meatballs at 350 or 400? ›

If you are making meatballs and are wondering how long you need to cook them, you came to the right place. After all of the Italian meatballs I've been making lately, I consider myself a meatball expert. A good rule of thumb is to bake meatballs for 25-30 minutes at 350 degrees fahrenheit.

Is it better to use milk or water in meatballs? ›

While water and broth may keep the meatballs moist throughout the cooking process, milk's extra fat and luscious consistency add an unmatched level of complexity to any classic meatball recipe.

What do Italians call spaghetti? ›

Italians call spaghetti “spaghetti “ and pasta “ pasta “. Spaghetti *is *a type of pasta among many- so all spaghetti are pasta, but not all pastas are spaghetti.

Do you eat spaghetti with meatballs? ›

This dish is simple perfection. Delicious, rich, satisfying, perfect. Spaghetti and meatballs will make anyone smile.

Why do Americans eat spaghetti with meatballs? ›

In the United States, they underwent some changes. Traditional Italian meatballs were smaller and cooked in sauce, while the larger meatballs we associate with spaghetti and meatballs were an American adaptation. The dish evolved as Italian immigrants combined their culinary traditions with American ingredients.

What pasta to eat with meatballs? ›

I prefer pappardelle here because it is a large, very broad and flat pasta noodles. And they are also similar to wide fettuccine. But you can also make it with egg noodles, fettuccine or spaghetti. I sauted onions before adding them to the meatballs and the sweetness of the caramelized onions was mouthwatering!

What is a spaghetti with meatballs called? ›

However, combinations of pasta with meat date back at least to the Middle Ages, and pasta (including long pasta) dishes with tomato sauce and different types of meatballs are documented in certain Italian regions and in modern Italian cookbooks as maccheroni alle polpette (translated as 'spaghetti with meatballs') and ...

Is pasta with meatballs an Italian dish? ›

While spaghetti and meatballs is not a meal served in Italy, the origin of the meal started with Italian immigrants coming to the U.S. in 1880-1920.

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