Ingredients

Arrabiata Sauce

For 2 people (simply multiply depending on your party size!)

1 garlic clove
2 small dried chillies
Extra virgin olive oil (the best quality you can)
1 tin of whole tomatoes (the best quality you can – we use Mutti San Marzano)

Meatballs

For 30 meatballs (We recommend 4-5 per person and freezing the rest)

250g beef mince
500g pork mince
6 big turns of black pepper
3 big pinches of salt
1 tbsp fennel seeds
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tbsp dried chilli flakes
2 handfuls of fresh parsley
80g bread crumbs
4 crushed garlic cloves

Spaghetti

Method

Preheat your oven to 200 degrees. Starting with the sauce; add a big glug of olive oil to a small pan on a low heat. Let the oil warm through then add the whole garlic clove and dried chillies. Fry the garlic until golden on both sides, without burning and then remove from the pan.
Add the tinned tomatoes (there will be a loud crackle as these hit the hot oil) and stir together. Turn the hob to the lowest setting, put the lid on the pan and let simmer away while you cook the meatballs. Continue to stir the sauce every 20 minutes or so to ensure it doesn’t stick. Cook gently for at least 2 hours. Add salt and a little sugar (optional) to taste before serving and remove dried chillies.

Add all of the meatball ingredients into a large mixing bowl and use your hands to combine the mixture thoroughly. Grease a baking tray with olive oil (to stop meatballs sticking) then shape the mixture into rounds (around the size of golfballs) and place on the baking tray.
Add to the oven for a total of 30-40 minutes (until they are cooked all the way through and have started to crisp on the edges), turning them every 15 minutes or so.

Meanwhile put a pan of highly salted water to the boil and cook the spaghetti to your liking. In the time it takes the spaghetti to cook, add the meatballs to the tomato sauce.

Place spaghetti into bowls and top with the sauce, meatballs, black pepper and a generous helping of parmesan!

** PS. We make a huge batch and stick them in the freezer – there’s nothing more exciting than rummaging for ideas for a weeknight dinner and finding these guys hiding at the back of the drawer.**

** PPS. – Our arrabiata sauce is a regular, comforting weeknight meal for us. Simple, cheap and easy to make. Simply serve with your favourite pasta and lots of grated parmesan. Delicious!**