Sunday, December 18, 2016

Pasta with Meatballs in a delicious Red Sauce

I had some chicken minced meat in the refirgerator that I planned to cook for dinner. The list of dishes like the cutlet, kheema paratha, a curry did not meet with much favour with the teen and so I decided to tempt the pasta queen with some pasta and meatballs. I didn't have spaghetti on hand which is the usual combination and so decided to serve it on a bed of macaroni cooked and sauteed in a mix of butter and olive oil. A simple meal for a weeknight dinner that doesn't require you to sweat it out in the kitchen.


Ingredients for the meatballs in red sauce
For the meat balls:
Minced meat(I used chicken minced meat) - 250 gms
Breadcrumbs(I used powdered cornflakes instead of the regular breadcrumbs) - 1/2 cup
Dried herbs - 1/2 tsp
Grated cheese(I used cheddar) - 10 gms
Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt -1/4 to 1/2 tsp(the cheese is also salted and the red sauce gravy too will have salt in it)

For the red sauce:
Tomatoes - 3 medium sized
Garlic - 3 to 4 cloves
Dried herbs - 1/4 to 1/2 tsp
Grated cheese - 2 tbsp
Pepper - 1/2 tsp
Store bought pasta sauce - 1 heaped tsp
Salt to taste
Olive oil - 2 tbsp

Method:
1- Take a glass bowl and add in the ingredients "for the meatballs) except the minced meat. Mix to even distribute all ingredients. Now add in the minced meat and let it mix well and coat with all ingredients. Make 12- 15 medium sized balls and keep aside.
2- Chop the tomatoes and add it alongwith the garlic cloves in the blender. Make a smooth paste.
3- Take a flat bottomed pan. Add olive oil and the tomato and garlic mixture. Let cook for 3-4  mins covered(add 2 to 3 tbsp of water if required. Now add the dried herbs , store bought pasta sauce and pepper powder. Cover and let cook for another 4-5 minutes. You need to cook on low to medium flame and really have patience or else the tomatoes will still be raw and not give the sauce/gravy the desired  taste or flavour.
4- At this stage, add in the meatballs one at a time with a spoon carefully so that they don't break(the breadcrumbs will give it a good binding and hold it together). Scoop little of the sauce with a spoon and pour over each meatball. Cook covered for another 4-5 minutes. Open adjust salt and seasoning. Add in 1 tbsp of the grated cheese into the sauce. Cover and cook for another 8 to 10 minutes. You will see the oil oozing out from the sides. Give it a careful stir so as not to break the meatballs. Garnish with the remaining grated cheese(you may also added finely chopped parsley). Cover and keep aside for 5 minutes. Serve on a bed of pasta. Enjoy!!


2 comments:

Unknown said...

Thanks for the idea :) elder one home on vacation.Am trying this .

vandana rajesh said...

Thanks Saaya, do let me know how it turned out