Saucy Beef Meatballs with Carrot Ribbons & Basil Pesto

Saucy Beef Meatballs with Carrot Ribbons & Basil Pesto

Ready in 40 minutes • Serves 5
This dish most recently appeared in My Choice (3 Nights For 4) on Sunday, July 18, 2021.
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Ingredients

To Serve

  • 100g feta cheese, crumbled
  • 1/2 pack basil pesto

Pasta

  • 2/3 pack pasta
  • 2 carrot, peeled into ribbons
  • 1 drizzle of oil

Sauce

  • 1 tsp brown sugar, optional
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tsp Italian herbs & spices
  • 100g baby spinach, roughly chopped
  • 1 drizzle of oil
  • 1 can crushed tomatoes

Meatballs

  • 1 carrot, grated
  • 600g beef mince
  • 50g breadcrumbs
  • 2 tsp Italian herbs & spices
  • 1/2 tsp salt

Steps

  1. Preheat oven to high grill. Bring a medium pot of hot salted tap water to the boil. Set aside a large baking dish.
  2. Prep carrot. Combine all meatball ingredients together in a large bowl. Roll into golf ball-sized balls and place in baking dish.
  3. Bake meatballs on upper oven rack for 8-10 minutes, until browned.
  4. Prep spinach. Heat oil in a large pot on medium heat. Add second measure of Italian herbs and spices, canned tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, salt and sugar and bring to the boil. Remove from heat and stir through spinach.
  5. Turn oven to 200°C. Pour sauce over meatballs and cook for a further 10-12 minutes, until meatballs are cooked through.
  6. Add pasta to pot of boiling water and cook on high heat for about 10 minutes, until just tender. Meanwhile, prep carrot. Once pasta is tender, add carrot ribbons to pot then drain immediately. Return to pot with oil to prevent sticking.
  7. Prep feta.
  8. Pasta with meatballs, sauce, basil pesto and feta. Keep separate for fussy little foodies.

Nutritional Information

Energy 2802 kj
670 kcal
Protein 37.6g
Carbohydrate 63.7g
Fat 28.0g