Meatball Pasta Bake with Melting Mozzarella

• 500 gbeef mince
• 1egg, beaten
• 50 gfresh breadcrumbs
• 1onion, finely chopped
• 2garlic cloves, crushed, divided
• 1 tspdried oregano
• 40 ggrated Parmesan
• 800 gtinned chopped tomatoes
• 1 tbsptomato purée
• 1 tbspolive oil
• 300 gpenne pasta
• Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
• 125 gmozzarella, torn
• 10 gfresh basil leaves (optional) (optional)
• 1roasted red pepper from a jar, drained and chopped
• 1 tspcaster sugar

Method

1. 1Heat the oven to 200°C fan. Mix the mince with half the onion, half the garlic, breadcrumbs, egg, Parmesan and oregano. Season and roll into 20 equal meatballs.
2. 2Heat the listed tablespoon of olive oil in a wide frying pan. Brown the meatballs in two batches for 4–5 minutes per batch, turning. Lift out; they will finish cooking in the oven.
3. 3Lower the heat, add the remaining onion and the chopped roasted red pepper to the same pan and cook for 5–6 minutes until softened and glossy, scraping up the fond as it loosens. Add the remaining crushed garlic and stir for 30 seconds, just until fragrant and pale gold.
4. 4Stir in the tomato purée and let it sizzle for a minute to lose its raw edge, then pour in the tinned tomatoes with a good splash of water. Simmer for 10–12 minutes until thickened and glossy. Taste; adjust salt now and add a pinch of sugar only if the tomatoes need balancing.
5. 5Meanwhile, cook the penne in well-salted boiling water; it should taste lively and well balanced; for 2 minutes less than the packet says. It needs real bite; it'll finish cooking in the oven. Drain, reserving a mugful of pasta water.
6. 6Stir most of the sauce through the drained pasta, loosening with a splash of pasta water if it looks tight. Tip into a baking dish, nestle the browned meatballs in amongst the pasta, spoon over the remaining sauce and scatter the torn mozzarella across the top.
7. 7Bake for 20 minutes until the cheese is golden, the sauce is bubbling and the largest meatball reaches 75°C for 30 seconds.
8. 8Rest for 5 minutes, then scatter over the optional basil if using. The listed oil and Parmesan are already in the dish.

Per serving

kcal

895

protein

49.7g

fibre

6.5g

carbs

81.1g

fat

40.8g