Spiced Meatballs with Chilli Tomato Sauce

This recipe combines great value lamb mince with delicious flavours from the Middle East.  If you don’t want to use passata (sieved tomatoes), simply replace with two cans of chopped tomatoes.

Serves 4

1 onion, roughly chopped
1 teasp. ground cumin
½ teasp. ground coriander
½ teasp. ground cinnamon
1 tablesp. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
450g lean minced lamb
50g pine nuts
1 tablesp. olive oil

FOR THE CHILLI TOMATO SAUCE

1 red chilli, seeded and finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
680g jar passata (sieved tomatoes)
1 teasp. sugar
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Plain boiled rice, to serve

Place the onion in a food processor and whizz to a fine puree. Tip into a bowl with the cumin, coriander, cinnamon, parsley, lamb and pine nuts. Season to taste and work to a paste with your hands. Roll the paste into small walnut-sized balls; you should have about 20 in total. Chill for 15 minutes to firm up if time allows.

Preheat the oven to Gas 6, 200ºC/400ºF. Toss the meatballs in the oil and place in an ovenproof dish. Bake for 15 minutes until lightly golden.

Meanwhile, place the chilli, garlic, passata and sugar in a jug. Season to taste and mix well to combine. Pour over the meatballs and bake for another 30 minutes, turning the meatballs once until the sauce has slightly reduced and thickened. Serve hot with some rice in warmed wide-rimmed bowls.

Nutritonal Analysis

Energy            528kcal
Protein            28g
Carbohydrates        47g
Fat            28g
Iron            4.6mg