These meatballs are super gorgeous and really easy to make, These are a big change on the meatballs that you will ever make and you are gpi9ng to love it. Start off with some pork and beef mince in a bowl then add in the flavors starting with the onions, minced garlic and to bring that together you will need some breadcrumbs, nicely beaten eggs, oregano, and parmesan cheese.

To echo a creaminess ion the meatballs, you will add buttermilk and a good batch of parsley, salt, and pepper. Mix that all together and once mixed through, you will notice that the texture will change a little bit and at that point, you will start forming your meatballs. Keep going with rolling the meatballs and once done, set them in the fridge f0or 30 minutes just to firm up.

Get your pan nice and soft and add in oil just to fry the meatballs, add the meatballs and let them fry just until beautifully golden brown then transfer the meatballs back to a tray. To that hot pan, add in the sliced garlic and fry it gently until it starts to color than add chili flakes and fries it off. To that add some tomato passata and to bring it together so that to have a really deep and rich sauce, add a splash of red wine, about half a glass.

Let it simmer off until you have a rich intense sweetness to the sauce. For flavor, add a teaspoon of dried oregano and let it thickens then add your meatballs in the sauce and coat every single one with the sauce. Bake the meatballs for one hour band thirty minutes at 150 degrees Celcius or 300 degrees Fahrenheit towards the end of the cooking time, you will get it out and add more cheese.

With your mozzarella cheese, you want to slice them into hefty chunks and tear the slices over the sauce then grate some parmesan cheese over the meatballs. Get it back in the oven to get nice, bubbly and cheesy and it will be ready to eat.

Once you are done, you will get that really great salty hit from the meatballs that punch with the heaviness of the oregano all wrapped up in the sauce tomato sauce which is slowly reduced done and the gorgeous cheesiness from the mozzarella and the parmesan. Enjoy your cheesy baked meatball.

Instructions;

For the tomato sauce;

  • 5 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely sliced
  • 700g passata
  • 75ml dry red wine
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp dried red chili flakes
  • 1 mozzarella balls, sliced
  • Salt & pepper

For the meatballs;

  • 250g good quality minced beef
  • 250g good quality minced pork
  • 100g pancetta, finely chopped
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
  • 60ml buttermilk
  • 50g breadcrumbs
  • 1 tbsp dried oregano, chopped
  • A small handful of fresh parsley, finely chopped
  • 1 large free-range egg, lightly beaten
  • 50g parmesan cheese, finely grated (keeping a little extra back)
  • Salt & pepper

Instructions;

  1. In a large mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients for the meatballs. Season with salt and pepper and mix until completely and evenly combined.
  2. Form large golf ball-sized meatballs by rolling them in your hands. Transfer to a large baking sheet. Keeping a small bowl of cold water for dipping your hands in after each meatball will prevent things from getting too sticky.
  3. Repeat with the remaining mixture, cover and leave in the fridge to firm up for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
  4. Place a large frying pan over medium-high heat and add a good glug of olive oil. If all the meatballs don’t fit in the pan at once, fry half the meatballs until browned on all sides, this will take 8-10 minutes, and then transfer to a plate lined with kitchen paper.
  5. If doing two batches, wipe out the pan with kitchen paper, add another glug of oil and fry the remaining batch.
  6. Preheat the oven to 150˚C/300°F/Gas Mark 2. Drain any excess oil from the pan and place back on low heat, add the garlic and slowly simmer until just golden but not browned.
  7. Pour in the passata and red wine and stir through. Season with dried oregano, chili flakes, salt & pepper.
  8. Bring to a steady simmer and allow to cook for 5-6 minutes before adding the meatballs to the pan and gently turning to coat them in the sauce with a tablespoon. Cover the pan with a lid and transfer to the oven.
  9. Cook for 1 hour and 30 minutes. Towards the end of the cooking time, turn up the oven to 220°C/450°F/Gas
  10. Mark 8 and dot the meatballs with mozzarella and the remaining parmesan and return to the oven.
  11. Serve the baked meatballs with spaghetti cooked in a pot of well seasoned boiling water until al dente and sprinkle generously with grated Parmesan cheese.