Spaghetti & Meatballs

Recipes and photos from Jodi Mitchell
18 January 2012

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This is my ‘hidden vege’ version of spaghetti & meatballs.  My kids are actually pretty good with eating their vegetables these days, but this recipe always made me feel a little better when it was hard to get anything green into them!  The other bonus is that it’s super easy and the adults love it just as much as the kids!

Ingredients
500g premium beef mince
½ - 1 courgette, grated
½ - 1 carrot, grated
Handful of finely chopped mushrooms
1 egg
1 Tbsp olive oil or rice bran oil
375ml passatta
1 clove of garlic
1 Tbsp chopped basil
250g spaghetti (I use San Remo gluten free)
Grated cheese & basil leaves to serve

Put the mince, courgette, carrot, mushrooms and egg in a bowl and mix thoroughly (your hands are the best tool!).  Take large teaspoonfuls and roll into balls.

Heat the oil in a deep pan, add the meatballs, and lightly brown.  Pour over the passatta, garlic and basil and simmer for 15-20 minutes until the meatballs are well cooked through (note: cooking the meatballs through in the sauce helps to keep the meat tender).

In the meantime, cook the spaghetti in a large pot of boiling water until al dente (tip: add a small amount of oil and salt when the water boils, add the spaghetti and stir well to prevent sticking).

Serve the spaghetti in bowls, spoon on the meatballs and sauce and add some cheese and basil to top it all off.