Name: Baked beef meatballs with fresh tomato sauce
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 800g lean beef mince; 250g frozen spinach, thawed, squeezed; Sea-salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper, to season; 2 free-range eggs; 250g fresh ricotta; Cooking oil spray; 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil; 1 brown onion, finely diced; 8 cloves garlic, minced; 1 tsp capers, chopped; 500g tomatoes, finely chopped; 1/4 bunch basil, leaves picked; Mixed salad leaves, to serve

Baked beef meatballs with fresh tomato sauce

Trick the gang into eating healthy!

Serves 4

Prep

20M

Cook

25M

Total

45M

Skip to Recipe

Short on time? This easy-to-prep beef meatballs dish is infused with flavour and goes straight into the oven.

While it’s filling enough for a main, you can serve it as a side dish or pair it with some handmade pasta for a more traditional meal. All that’s left is to pour yourself a glass of red and enjoy.

Looking for more great value mince recipes?

Ingredients

800g lean beef mince

250g frozen spinach, thawed, squeezed

Sea-salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper, to season

2 free-range eggs

250g fresh ricotta

Cooking oil spray

2 tsp extra virgin olive oil

1 brown onion, finely diced

8 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp capers, chopped

500g tomatoes, finely chopped

1/4 bunch basil, leaves picked

Mixed salad leaves, to serve

Method

Preheat oven to 200°C. Put beef and spinach in a large bowl. Mix well. Season. Add eggs and 100g of the ricotta. Knead until smooth. Divide into 36 balls, then flatten into discs.

Roll the remaining ricotta, 1 heaped ½ teaspoon at a time, into 36 balls. Wrap each in a portion of beef mixture. Put meatballs in a 24 x 34cm roasting pan. Spray with oil. Roast for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add onion, garlic and capers and fry for 5 minutes to soften. Add tomatoes, cooking for 5 more minutes, then crush with a fork. Season then mix in ½ of the basil.

Pour over meatballs. Roast for 10 minutes. Garnish with remaining basil. Serve with salad.

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Ingredients

Method

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