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Chicken meatballs with spaghetti & marcella hazan's famous tomato sauce
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Chicken meatballs with spaghetti & marcella hazan's famous tomato sauce

Delicious chicken meatballs with Marcella Hazans famous tomato sauce is an easy weeknight supper recipe.

Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
55 mins
Servings: 4
Course: Dinner

Ingredients

Chicken meatballs
  • 500 grams chicken mince about a pound
  • 2 onion very finely chopped, or shallots
  • 2 streaky bacon or 3 thinner ones, diced very finely diced, thick rashers
  • 1 garlic small clove, minced
  • 3 Tbs parsley chopped
  • 1 tsp oregano dried
  • 1 egg free-range
  • 1 cup breadcrumbs
  • 2 Tbs tomato paste
  • pinch red pepper flakes optional, dried
  • 1 tsp miso paste optional
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • flour for dusting
  • olive oil for frying
Tomato sauce 
  • 900 grams tomato fresh ripe, skinned, or 2 x 480gm tins imported Italian tomatoes cut up in juice
  • 70 grams butter 5 tablespoons (40-50 gms often fine
  • 1 onion peeled and cut in half, medium
  • sea salt flakes such as Maldon
  • 1 spaghetti 500gm packet
  • Parmesan Cheese freshly grated, preferably Parmigiano Reggiano

Instructions

To make the tomato sauce:
    Cup of Yum
  1. Put the tomatoes, butter, onion and salt in a medium heavy-based pot and cook uncovered for 45 minutes on a gentle simmer. Stir every now and again breaking up any larger pieces of tomato with your spoon.
  2. Taste and add more salt if its required (it needs a fair amount) and discard the onion.  
To make the meatballs:
  1. While your tomato sauce is simmering away making your home smell delicious, prep all your ingredients for the meatballs.
  2. Fry the bacon over low heat until the fat renders out and add the chopped onion and garlic. Allow this to soften for a couple of minutes (you do not want to brown this). *add a splash of olive oil to the pan if the bacon is quite dry. 
  3. Mix this with all the other meatball ingredients using your hands to make sure everything is thoroughly incorporated.
  4. Dust a tray or a cooking surface with a small handful of flour and dust your hands before rolling small meatballs. Lightly dust the meatballs and set them on the flour.
  5. Heat a large non-stick frying pan with a few about 2 tablespoons of olive oil and fry the meatballs in two batches until golden on all sides. I found shaking the pan around a bit helps keep their round shape. Set aside.
  6. Once the sauce is cooked and the onion removed, add the meatballs. Continue cooking for a further 5 - 8 minutes in the sauce until they are cooked through. Toss through the freshly cooked spaghetti and serve with lashings of grated Parmesan. 

Notes

  • Any leftovers can be stored in the fridge or freezer.