Retro Italian Pork Meatballs-One Dish Dinner

 Kid-Friendly Meatballs and Spaghetti.

Add extra flavours for a great retro adult main dish.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

8 good-quality pork sausages

2 tbs each finely chopped oregano, and for adult taste, rosemary and sage or basil.

2/3rds of a cup of dried breadcrumbs

Grated zest of 1 lemon.

Squeeze the sausage meat into a bowl and throw the skins away.

Add the herbs, breadcrumbs and zest.

Mix well

Shape into 16 smallish balls. Half and then quarter the mixture to get even sizes or use a measuring spoon. refrigerate for 15 minutes.

Sauce:

2 tbs olive oil

1 smallish onion, finely chopped

2 cloves of crushed garlic

Add a few halved cherry tomatoes if you have some

1 jar of good pasta sauce ( 400g )

1/2 a jar of water 

Some chopped basil leaves.

Seasoning to taste- sea salt and ground black pepper

1/2 bag of baby spinach leaves

Heat the oil and fry the onion gently-5 minutes

Add the garlic, cook 1 minute

Add the meatballs, turning until brown on all surfaces-5 minutes

Stir in the tomato pieces- fry 1 minute

Add pasta sauce, basil and water.

Simmer for 10 minutes.

Add baby spinach.

Meanwhile:

Break the 200-300g dried spaghetti noodles into thirds.

Drop into boiling, salted water - cook 8 minutes or according to packet instructions.

Crumble 50g of Feta cheese.

Prepare some basil leaves for garnish.

Put the drained spaghetti into the base of an oven-ware dish

Top with the meatballs in the tomato and spinach sauce. ( The one-pot dinner can be kept a while and heated to full temp in a hot oven when ready to serve)

Scatter with basil and crumbled Feta.

Serve with bruschetta and a nice soft red wine for the parents!