Tuscan Meatballs Meal Base
This is a great recipe that can be prepared ahead of time. It uses ingredients that you probably have in your cupboard right now, and it's a recipe you can set and forget. Keep it in the freezer ready to defrost, then cook up this tasty meal on a busy night with minimal effort! It's so simple to make that you could easily go and do other things whilst dinner is cooking.
Recipe Tester Feedback: “We actually had this for dinner as a spaghetti Bolognese base, and the kids loved it! My 10 year old is extremely fussy, and she ate all of it and said it was really yummy!" - Claire
No: Gluten / Dairy / Egg / Nuts
Preparation Time 5 minutes
Cooking Time 46 minutes
Serves 6 with meatballs
Can be frozen
You will need:
knife
chopping board
spatula
internal steaming basket
airtight container
Ingredients
- onion - 2, large, brown, peeled and quartered
- garlic cloves - 5, peeled
- olive oil - 30g
- tinned tomatoes - 800g, diced
- tomato paste - 50g
- red wine - 200g
- dried basil - 1 Tbsp
- dried oregano - 1 Tbsp
- dried rosemary - 1 Tbsp
- salt - 1 tsp
- pepper - 1 tsp, cracked, black
- Serving suggestions:
- meatballs of choice - chilled, to cook the meal
- pasta - cooked, to serve, *ensure GF if required
Method
- Add the peeled and quartered onions (2) and peeled garlic cloves (5) to the bowl. Chop Speed 7 / 3 seconds. Scrape down sides.
- Add the olive oil (30g) to the bowl. Program 6 minutes / 110C* / Speed 2.
- Add the diced tomatoes (800g tin), tomato paste (50g), red wine (200g), dried basil (1 Tbsp), dried oregano (1 Tbsp), dried rosemary (1 Tbsp), salt (1 tsp) and cracked black pepper (1 tsp) to the bowl. Program 40 minutes / 100C / Speed 2. Set the internal steaming basket on top of the lid to prevent spatters.
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer until needed.
Serving suggestion:
- Place chilled meatballs of choice into a large casserole dish and cover them in the meal base sauce.
- Bake at 180C for 20-30 minutes until meatballs are cooked through.
- Serve over cooked pasta of choice.
- Enjoy!
*If your machine does not go above 100C, set to Steaming Temperature which is usually between 110-115C. Please refer to your user manual for correct information for the appropriate setting for your machine.
Make your own!
* Make your own tomato paste with the Pizza Sauce / Tomato Paste recipe from The Make Your Own Bonus Issue.
