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Spicy tomato meatballs with parsley and vegetarian hard cheese cooking on the hob
Meatballs in a rich spiced tomato sauce with basil leaves, spaghetti twirled alongside.

Spicy Tomato Meatballs

The mix belongs in the meat, not the sauce, so the tomato stays recognisably Italian. Avoid overmixing the mince.

Prep
20 mins
Cook
35 mins
Total
55 mins
Serves
4
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Kitchen roadmap

Before you cook

The details that make or break this dish, mapped to the exact step where they matter.

  1. Avoid thisMix gently
  2. Make sureShape 16 even meatballs
  3. Watch forBrown, do not cook through
  4. Food safetyKeep the simmer gentle

Ingredients

  • Meatballs
  • Sauce
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Method

9 steps

  1. Gently combine the meatball ingredients. Avoid overmixing.

  2. Form 16 meatballs and refrigerate for 10 minutes.

    Sixteen evenly shaped lightly packed meatballs arranged on a plate before browning

  3. Brown them in the olive oil for 5–6 minutes, then remove.

    Irregular hand-rolled meatballs removed after varied surface browning before the tomato sauce

  4. Cook the onion in the same pan until soft.

  5. Add the garlic, chilli and oregano.

    Cook for 30 seconds.

  6. Add the passata and simmer for five minutes.

  7. Return the meatballs, cover and simmer gently for 15–20 minutes.

  8. Check they are cooked through.

  9. Finish with basil and the grated cheese, and serve with spaghetti or crusty bread.

If it does not come out right

The faults this dish actually has. Open one for the fix.

Why does my curry taste flat?

A curry tastes flat almost always because of salt and acid rather than spice – under-salted food reads as missing something, and a curry cooked without tomato, yoghurt, lemon, amchur or tamarind has no sourness to lift the spice, so adding more masala makes it duller rather than brighter.

Read the full answer
Why does my curry taste raw?

A curry tastes raw because the ground spices met liquid before they met hot fat – powdered spices need 60 to 90 seconds in oil hot enough to shimmer, or eight to ten minutes of bhunai once the onions and tomatoes are in, before the dusty, unfinished note cooks off and the oil separates from the masala.

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Authentic Lahori All Purpose Mix pouch

Make it with the Authentic Lahori mix

One blend for karahi, curries, marinades, chips and everyday cooking.

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