Rosemary Beef Meatballs with Tomato Vegetable Sauce

Steps

1. Make meatballs Preheat oven to 220°C. Preheat a large oven dish. Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Finely dice onion (set half aside for sauce) and combine with remaining meatball ingredients in a bowl. Season with ½ tsp salt and pepper. Measure out about 2 Tbsp of mixture and shape into golf ball-sized balls. Set aside.
2. Prepare sauce Thinly slice leek and grate courgette and carrot. Heat a drizzle of oil in a deep fry-pan on medium heat. Cook reserved onion and leek for 3 minutes, until soft. Add garlic, courgette, carrot and oregano and cook a further 2 minutes.
3. Add passata, sugar, 1 tsp salt and balsamic vinegar and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 3-4 minutes, until sauce has thickened slightly. Season to taste with pepper.
4. Cook meatballs and pasta Drizzle a little oil in preheated oven dish, add meatballs, turn to coat in oil and bake for about 10 minutes. Cook pasta in pot of boiling water for 10-12 minutes, until just tender. Drain and drizzle with a little olive oil to prevent sticking.
5. Finish dish Add meatballs to pan with sauce and gently turn meatballs to coat. Cover and simmer for a further 5 minutes, until meatballs are cooked through. Finely grate Parmesan cheese.
6. Serve, pasta topped with meatballs, tomato sauce and Parmesan cheese.