With just one block of pecorino romano that I bought from Foodie Market Place, I probably converted my kitchen to an Italian one for a week, lol. Antipasti, pizzas & pastas – whatever I could whip up so I could make use of this very fine cheese. The husband was in heaven as all these were his kind of comfort food.
So what I have here today is another pasta dish whereby I tweaked my meatball recipe and added an Italian twist to it. Loved the colours. And it was scrumptious too! The sharp pecorino just gave it so much punch! Buon appetito!
Meatballs Spaghetti Recipe
Ingredients (serves 2-3)
250g spaghetti, cooked till al dente
grated pecorino romano cheese
chopped parsley as garnish
Meatballs:
200g minced beef
200g minced pork
1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/2 cup pecorino romano cheese, grated
1 egg
salt & freshly cracked black pepper
Sauce:
4 tomatoes, diced
150g button mushrooms, sliced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 large onion, finely diced
80g tomato paste
250ml water
1 1/2 tbsp fish sauce
salt & freshly cracked black pepper
olive oil
Instructions
1. Preheat oven at 190 deg C at Grill with fan. Line a baking tray with aluminium foil and grease with cooking spray.
2. Combine all ingredients for the meatballs in a large mixing bowl and season with salt & pepper.
3. With wet hands, roll the meatball mixture into round balls of your desired size and arrange them on the tray with at least half inch of space in between the balls.
4. Bake for 25-30 minutes till the meatballs turn a nice golden brown.
5. Heat a little olive oil in pan and saute the garlic and onions till fragrant.
6. Add the mushrooms and stir fry till tender.
7. Add water, diced tomatoes and tomato paste. Bring to a boil and then simmer till sauce slightly thickens.
8. Add red and green bell peppers and allow to cook briefly. Season with salt, pepper and/or fish sauce as desired.
9. Arrange the cooked spaghetti on serving plates and top with the meatballs. Ladle the sauce over and sprinkle with grated pecorino romano cheese on top. Garnish with parsley and serve.
Hi Geri , why you write ” the husband ” instead of ” my husband ” ? Is it a typo error ? I read this term in most of your blogs . Just wonder why you used such expression .
Hello Veronica, thanks for stopping by. It depends on the narrative flow and what comes to mind. Similarly, instead of using ‘my parents’, I normally use ‘the folks’. It’s just my language and style of writing so it’s not a typo 🙂 cheers!