One-pot meatballs alla Norma

main dish Italian cuisine family kitchen
Total: 55 min. | Active: 40 min.

I wouldn’t normally describe myself as a lazy person. However, there’s one area where I’m happy to make compromises – and that’s washing up! So, I’m always on the lookout for dishes that require as little crockery as possible. And this is exactly how this one-pot recipe came about. Succulent beef meatballs, aubergines and an aromatic tomato sauce are combined with spaghetti to create a wholesome dish – all prepared in a single pan. The pasta absorbs the flavours of the sauce, making it especially tasty. A simple, summery, feel-good dish that not only impresses on the plate, but also eases the workload in the kitchen afterwards.

Recipe by:
Daniela Bieder – daniela CULINAIRE

Ingredients

for 4 portions

Meatballs
30 g bread day old, cut into cubes
1 dl milk
1 tbsp olive oil
1  onion, finely chopped
2  garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 sprig rosemary, finely chopped
4  sage leaves, finely chopped
400 g minced meat (beef)
½ tsp salt
a little  pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
Aubergines
2 tbsp olive oil
500 g aubergines, cut into approx. 2 cm pieces
½ tsp salt
a little  pepper
1 tbsp tomato puree
One-pot meatballs
1 glass puréed tomatoes (approx. 560 g)
1  bay leaf
1 tsp salt
a little  pepper
250 g spaghetti, cut in half
4 sprigs basil, torn into pieces
40 g Parmesan

How it's done

Meatballs

Place the bread and milk in a bowl, leave to absorb for approx. 15 mins. Heat the oil in a wide non-stick frying pan. Sauté the onion, garlic, rosemary and sage for approx. 5 mins. Remove, add to the bread in the bowl. Add the mince, season, knead well by hand until the ingredients have combined to form a compact mass. Shape the mixture into approx. 28 balls. Heat the oil in the same pan, fry the meatballs all over for approx. 5 mins., remove.

Aubergines

Heat the oil in the same pan. Add the aubergines, season and fry for approx. 10 mins., stirring occasionally. Add the tomato puree, cook briefly. Return the meatballs to the pan.

One-pot meatballs

Pour in the tomato passata. Fill the tomato jar with 500 ml of water, shake and pour the water into the pan. Add the bay leaf, season the sauce, bring to the boil. Add the spaghetti, reduce the heat, cover and simmer for approx. 10 mins., stirring occasionally until the spaghetti is al dente. Serve the dish with basil and parmesan.

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