Baked Meatballs with Mozzarella

• 400 gbeef mince
• 400 gpork mince
• 1egg
• 75 gbreadcrumbs
• salt and black pepper, to taste
• 1small onion, finely chopped
• 2garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tspdried oregano
• 50 mlmilk
• 1 x 400gtin chopped tomatoes
• 1 tbsptomato purée
• 1 tbspolive oil
• 200 gmozzarella, torn
• 15 gfresh basil, torn
• 150 mlbeef stock
• 1roasted red pepper from a jar, drained

Method

1. 1Preheat the oven to 200°C fan / 220°C / Gas 7. In a large bowl, combine the beef and pork mince, onion, crushed garlic, breadcrumbs, egg, milk, oregano and a generous pinch of salt and black pepper. Bring together with your hands until just combined; overworked mince turns rubbery on baking.
2. 2Shape into 16–18 even meatballs, rolling firmly between your palms so they hold together in the sauce. Set aside while the pan heats.
3. 3Heat half the olive oil in a stainless or cast-iron frying pan over a medium-high heat. Sear the meatballs in two batches, turning until deeply coloured all over, about 4–5 minutes per batch. The oven finishes the inside.
4. 4While the meatballs sear, tip the chopped tomatoes into a blender with the roasted red pepper, tomato purée, remaining olive oil and stock. Season with salt and pepper and blitz until smooth. Pour into a shallow ovenproof dish.
5. 5When the second batch of meatballs comes out, the pan will have sticky brown fond on the base. Splash in a ladle of the blended sauce, swirl for 20 seconds to lift the stuck bits, then tip it all back into the ovenproof dish and stir through. Taste the sauce now and adjust the salt; if it's flat, it needs more.
6. 6Nestle the browned meatballs into the sauce so they sit snugly, then scatter the torn mozzarella evenly over the top. Bake for 20–25 minutes until the meatballs are cooked through (centres hot and no longer pink), the sauce is bubbling thickly at the edges, and the cheese is golden in patches.
7. 7Leave the dish to rest for 3 minutes so the sauce settles. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning if needed, then scatter over the torn basil.

Per serving

kcal

821

protein

55.4g

fibre

3.8g

carbs

28.4g

fat

53.7g