Cooking time: 1hour 30 minutes
Serving size: Serves 4
Oven temperature: 180°C (fan)
INGREDIENTS
500g beef mince (10-15% fat)
1 red onion
1 tsp balsamic
1 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp asafoetida (or ½ tsp onion powder, ½ tsp garlic powder)
1 tsp oregano
1 large egg (beaten)
2x400g canned, peeled plum tomatoes
½ (123g drained) can of drained, canned green lentils
4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
5 garlic cloves (sliced)
5 stems of basil (leaves attached to stems)
1 tsp caster sugar
METHOD
1.) Finely dice and caramelise the red onion with 2 tsp rapeseed oil, the balsamic and ½ tsp caster sugar. Cook on a low/medium heat for 5-6 minutes. Make sure that the onion is soft, darker in colour but NOT crispy. Set the onions aside to cool.
2.) In a bowl, combine the beef mince with the drained lentils and season with 1 tsp asafoetida (or ½ tsp onion powder, ½ tsp garlic powder), 1 tsp oregano, salt and pepper, the beaten egg and the cooled onions.
3.) Roll the meat mixture into golf-ball sized balls. Apply very little pressure to keep them as loose as possible whilst maintaining their shape and put in the fridge for 20 minutes.
4.) Finely slice the garlic lengthways, add 4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil to a pot and add the garlic and let it bloom (i.e. heat gently to release the flavour of the garlic but not to brown it). Add in 5 sprigs of fresh basil and cook until the garlic begins to turn translucent.
5.) Preheat the oven to 180°C (fan).
6.) Break up the tomato with your hands as you add the two tins to the pot of garlic and basil infused oil.
7.) Season with salt and pepper and ½ tsp caster sugar.
8.) Put the meatballs in the oven for 20 minutes while the sauce simmers gently on the stove top.
9.) Liquidize the sauce before adding the meatballs (you can also leave the sauce as is if you prefer a chunkier texture). You could either use a blender that can handle heat, a hand-held blender or let the sauce cool and blitz it in a NutriBullet. If using a NutriBullet, make sure the sauce is heated to a simmer before adding the meatballs.
10.) Remove the meatballs from the oven and add them to the sauce and allow them to cook in the sauce for 30-40 minutes before serving. This is a delicious recipe served with pasta or rice. If serving with pasta, add a ladle of pasta water to the sauce. This will help the sauce to bind to the pasta and the starchy water also gives the sauce a lovely silken texture.
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