RECIPE: Fantastic Autumnal Comfort Food

Spaghetti and meatballs is perfect comfort food, and you won't find a better version than this fantastic recipe from Tessa Johnson of Flex your food.

I saw this recipe on Cook Yourself Thin and just had to try it. The sauce is lovely and creamy and making meatballs allows you to control the amount of meat you serve per person.

It’s a simple recipe and making the sauce is soooo much tastier than using a pre-made jar.

Don’t be afraid of the apple; it’ll fill out the meatballs and add a subtle sweetness and crunch. I promise, give it a try!

Serves: 6

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 400 g lean minced beef
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 eating apple, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 red pepper, cored, seeded and finely chopped
• 1 tsp fresh or dried oregano
• salt and pepper 1 tbl olive oil 400 g spaghetti grated Parmesan, to serve 

Sauce Ingredients:

• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 clove of garlic, finely diced
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 900 g tomatoes, chopped
• 1 tsp red wine vinegar
• pinch of sugar
• handful of fresh basil leaves

Method:

Using your hands, combine the minced beef, onion, apple, red pepper, oregano, salt, and pepper. Roll the minced mix into same-sized meatballs then set aside.

Heat the oil in a saucepan and fry the onion for about 10 minutes until soft and golden.

Stir in the garlic, tomatoes, vinegar, and sugar and simmer gently for about 20 minutes.

Once cooled, blend together until smooth. While the sauce is simmering, heat oil in a frying pan.

Fry the meatballs gently on low heat for 10 minutes, turning them as necessary. Drain off the excess fat then add the blended sauce. Cook everything together for 15 minutes.

While the sauce is finishing, cook the pasta in boiling salted water until al dente then drain.

Serve immediately, topped with the meatballs, sauce, and Parmesan.

Variation:

Use lamb instead of beef for the meatballs and experiment with different types of pasta, like penne, angel hair, or even macaroni; it makes it a completely new dish!