It’s mid-week cooking time again folks!
This week I was tossing up between meatballs and cannelloni. It was a tough decision, but this recipe sold me. Who would have thought to put salami in meatballs? It’s genius!

I altered the recipe a bit and added double the quantity of tomatoes as I love lots of sauce with my pasta. I also slow cooked the balls throughout the day so they could absorb the sauce. The key to this recipe is to season the tomato sauce to your taste. I added basil, sugar, salt, pepper and some beef seasoning. This all adds a bit more depth to the flavour.

The meatballs themselves were amazing! The salami really made them stand out to your traditional boring old meat balls. The house was filled with the delicious scent of a home cooked meal, mum even requested she get a big serving! Everyone loved it, and I will definitely be keeping this recipe.

Italian Meatballs with Pasta & Tomato Sauce
Taste Website

1/4 cup (60ml) Colavita olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 cup (250ml) dry white wine, chicken or beef stock
400g can Italian chopped tomatoes
400g dried short pasta
Flaked parmesan, to serve

meatballs:
500g minced beef
25g sliced salami, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
50g parmesan, finely grated
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup (35g) dried breadcrumbs

1. For meatballs, place all ingredients in a bowl and season to taste with salt and pepper. Mix well to combine. Form tablespoonfuls of mixture into balls.

2. Heat oil in a large frying pan or saucepan over high heat. Add meatballs and cook, turning occasionally, for 5 minutes or until well browned. Remove from pan and set aside.

3. Add onion to pan and cook, stirring, over medium heat for 5 minutes or until tender. Add wine or stock and simmer until reduced by 1/2. Return meatballs to pan with tomatoes and bring to the boil. Cover and cook for 15 minutes or until sauce is thickened.

4. Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large saucepan of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain and return to pan. Add meatballs and sauce and toss to combine, then serve scattered with flaked parmesan.