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Italian meatball melt

Name: Italian meatball melt
Total time: 1 h
Ingredients: olive oil; garlic 3 cloves, thinly sliced; dried chilli flakes 1 tsp; finely chopped tomatoes 2 x 400g tins; balsamic vinegar 1 tbsp; sugar (any kind) 1 tsp; pitted black olives 16; capers 2 tbsp; basil a bunch, torn; mozzarella 125g ball, sliced and drained on kitchen paper; onion 1; soft white breadcrumbs 75g, soaked in 4 tbsp milk; pork mince 200g; beef mince 200g; pork sausages 2, skinned; parmesan finely grated to make 4 tbsp; flat-leaf parsley finely chopped to make 2 tbsp; sea salt flakes 1 tsp; celery salt ½ tsp; egg 1, beaten; cooked rigatoni; crusty bread

1 hour + Chilling
serves 4
Easy

So good it made our cover in September 2020, this Italian classic pairs homemade meatballs (made with pork and beef mince, sausages and parmesan) with a chilli tomato sauce

By Janine Ratcliffe

Published: September 15, 2020 at 10:12 am

Try our Italian meatballs recipe then check out our veggie meatballs, classic lasagne and more meatballs recipes.

Ingredients

olive oil
garlic 3 cloves, thinly sliced
dried chilli flakes 1 tsp
finely chopped tomatoes 2 x 400g tins
balsamic vinegar 1 tbsp
sugar (any kind) 1 tsp
pitted black olives 16
capers 2 tbsp
basil a bunch, torn
mozzarella 125g ball, sliced and drained on kitchen paper

MEATBALLS

onion 1
soft white breadcrumbs 75g, soaked in 4 tbsp milk
pork mince 200g
beef mince 200g
pork sausages 2, skinned
parmesan finely grated to make 4 tbsp
flat-leaf parsley finely chopped to make 2 tbsp
sea salt flakes 1 tsp
celery salt ½ tsp
egg 1, beaten

TO SERVE

cooked rigatoni
crusty bread

Method

Step 1

To make the meatballs, cut the top off the onion, peel off the skin and the first two layers (this gets rid of any tough bits). Grate the onion on the coarse side of a box grater then squeeze out the excess juice. Measure 3 tbsp of the squeezed onion into a bowl.
Step 2

Add the rest of the ingredients with a good grind of black pepper, then use clean hands to mix everything together really well. Form into 24 meatballs and chill for at least 20 minutes or until you want to cook them.
Step 3

Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a large, deep, lidded frying pan or shallow casserole. Add the meatballs in batches and cook, turning, until browned all over. Once browned, scoop out onto a plate.
Step 4

To make the sauce, add the garlic to the same pan with a little more oil, if needed, and gently sizzle for 3-4 minutes. Stir in the chilli flakes and cook for 1 minute, then add the tomatoes, vinegar and sugar. Simmer for 15 minutes until thickened, then add the meatballs with the olives and capers. Stir and simmer with a lid on for another 20 minutes then season and stir in half the basil.
Step 5

Heat the grill to medium. Dot pieces of the mozzarella all over the pan then slide under the grill and cook until the cheese has melted. Scatter over extra basil to finish, and serve with rigatoni and crusty bread.