Red Pepper Pesto Meatballs in a Mean Tomato Sauce

An original recipe for lovely meatballs stuffed with red pepper pesto, doused in a garlicky tomato sauce and ready to be indulged with spaghetti al dente!

Photos and story: socraticfood

Ingredients

• 250 gr (9 oz) ground pork.
• 250 gr (9 oz) ground veal or beef.
• 2 onions finely chopped.
• 6 garlic cloves.
• Small bunch of fresh thyme.
• 2 tablespoons dried oregano.
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin.
• 2 teaspoons paprika.
• 3 red bell peppers.
• A handful of pine nuts.
• 3-4 ripe and sweet tomatoes.
• A small bunch of flat-leaf parsley.
• 500 ml (2 cups) tomato passata.
• 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil.
• Salt and ground pepper.

Instructions

• Preheat the oven at 190 degrees Celsius (375 F). Place a piece of greaseproof paper on a tray and add the red peppers. Cook them until they start getting brown, about 20 minutes or more.
• Let the peppers cool down and remove the skin. Add them into the blender together with 4 garlic cloves (less if you are not a big fan of garlic), the pine nuts and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Create a smooth paste and set aside.
• Into a large bowl, add the meat together with the red pepper pesto, 1 finely-chopped onion, fresh thyme, 1 tablespoon of oregano, cumin and 1 teaspoon of paprika. Season with salt and pepper to your liking and knead for a few minutes to mix all the ingredients well. Cover with cling film and put it in the fridge for ~ 1 hour.
• Use the meat mixture and make small and round balls. Heat ½ cup of olive oil (maybe more) in a large frying pan on medium heat. Fry the meatballs until they start getting brown, not too much. They will continue the cooking in the sauce later. Place them on a plate covered with kitchen towel to absorb the excess oil and set aside.
• Add the fresh tomatoes, 2-3 garlic cloves and the parsley in the blender and make a nice paste.
• Heat 4-5 tablespoons of olive oil in a large frying pan on medium heat. Add the onion and fry it until it softens. Add the fresh tomato paste, 1 tablespoon of oregano, 1 teaspoon of paprika and the tomato passata. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Give it a stir and let it cook on low heat for ~ 15 minutes. Stir it from time to time. To save time, you may make the sauce while the meat mixture is in the fridge.
• Add the meatballs into the pan with the sauce, lower the heat to minimum and let them cook altogether for 30-45 minutes.
• Serve it with spaghetti “al dente” with lots of grated parmesan.

bon appetit