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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
10 mins
Servings: 4
Course: Dinner

Ingredients

Chicken meatballs
  • 500 grams about a pound of chicken mince
  • 2 x shallots or a 1/4 an onion very finely chopped
  • 2 thick rashers of streaky bacon or 3 thinner ones, diced very finely diced
  • 1 small garlic clove minced
  • 3 Tbs chopped parsley
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 free-range egg
  • 1 cup breadcrumbs
  • 2 Tbs tomato paste
  • pinch of dried chilli flakes optional
  • 1 tsp Miso paste optional
  • 1/2 tsp salt and black pepper
  • Flour for dusting
  • olive oil for frying
Tomato sauce 
  • 900 grams fresh ripe tomatoes skinned or 2 x 480gm tins imported Italian tomatoes, cut up, in their juice 
  • 70 grams 5 tablespoons butter (Often use 40 - 50 gms and its still great)
  • 1 medium onion peeled and cut in half
  • sea salt flakes such as Maldon
  • 1 x  500gm packet the best spaghetti
  • Freshly grated Parmesan 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.