Inspiring vegetarian recipes
Try our vibrant veggie dishes, from meat-free lasagne to vegetable curry and vegetarian chilli
Fennel and herb meatball rigatoni
- Preparation and cooking time
- Total time
- Easy
- Serves 4
Ingredients
- 50g soft breadcrumbs
- 2 tbsp milk
- 250g beef mince
- 250g pork mince
- 1 onion, grated
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 tsp fennel seeds, crushed
- a handful basil, chopped
- a handful flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 400g tin chopped tomatoes
- 250ml passata
- 1 tsp golden caster sugar
- 1 tsp red wine vinegar
- butter
- 400g rigatoni, cooked to serve
Method
- STEP 1
Put the breadcrumbs in a bowl. Pour over the milk and mix.
- STEP 2
Add both minces, onion, egg, fennel seeds, most of the basil and all of the parsley. Season really well and mix.
- STEP 3
Divide into around 30 portions of 1 tbsp each and roll each into a small meatball.
- STEP 4
Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large, non-stick frying pan and fry the meatballs in batches until they are browned all over, then scoop out onto a plate.
- STEP 5
Fry the garlic in a drizzle of oil in the same pan, add the chopped tomatoes, passata, sugar and vinegar, and simmer for 20 minutes until the sauce is thickened.
- STEP 6
Season well. Add the meatballs back into the sauce and cook for 10-15 minutes until the meatballs are cooked through.
- STEP 7
Stir in a knob of butter and the rest of the basil. Serve with rigatoni.
