You can make the sauce in advance (it freezes well), and then just reheat it, popping in the meatballs at the last minute as they take just a few minutes to cook through in the sauce.
Method
- Fry the onion in some olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the passata, garlic, sugar, salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, and then simmer for as little as 10 minutes, or as long as you’ve got. The sauce will soon reduce and become thicker.
- When you’re happy with the sauce, pop in the meatballs and stir gently, making sure each one is covered by the sauce. Heat until the meatballs are brown and cooked all the way through (approximately 3–5 minutes). Stir in the spinach, if using.
- Serve with spaghetti or rice and lots of grated Parmesan cheese. You can also use lamb meatballs – if so, try stirring a can of chickpeas through the sauce instead of serving with pasta or rice.
Ingredients
- 1 onion, chopped
- olive oil, for frying
- 380ml passata
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 2 tsp sugar
- 600g beef meatballs
- 75g frozen spinach (or a large handful of fresh)
- salt and pepper
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