Veal Meatballs with Spaghetti and Hidden Mediterranean Vegetable Sauce
By not-recognized
Published on 27 April 2022
Meatballs are always popular with children and this veal meatballs recipe is a real winner because of their mild flavour. The hidden Mediterranean vegetable sauce is a great way to get children to eat vegetables that, if serving individually to them, they would not dream of eating! The quantities listed here make a large batch of sauce as it is more practical to roast this quantity of vegetables, but the leftover sauce freezes beautifully.Time and servings
1 hrTotal time
3Servings
10 minsPrep time
50 minsCooking time
Ingredients
- 360 g of veal meatballs
- 1 small aubergine, cut into chunks
- 4 tbsp of olive oil
- 2 tbsp of tomato puree
- 1 red pepper, de-seeded and cut into chunks
- 2 courgettes, cut into chunky rounds
- 3 carrots, peeled and cut into rounds
- 2 red onions, cut into chunks
- 2 cans of plum tomatoes
Method
Step 1
For the meatballs, heat the olive oil in a shallow pan and fry the meatballs at a high temperature until nicely browned all over the surface, then reduce the temperature for a further 5-6 minutes, turning frequently to ensure even cooking.Step 2
Once the meatballs are thoroughly cooked through to the centre, remove onto a plate, loosely cover with foil and allow to rest.Step 3
To cook the hidden vegetable sauce, preheat the oven to 200C/Gas 6.Step 4
Place the red pepper, courgette, aubergine, carrot and red onion in a large, deep roasting tray, drizzle with olive oil and toss well with your hands so all the vegetables are coated.Step 5
Roast for 30 minutes, toss vegetables and then roast for a further 10 minutes.Step 6
Remove from the oven and allow to cool.Step 7
Pour the cooled vegetables into a bowl.Step 8
Add the tinned tomatoes and tomato puree and blend to a smooth consistency with a hand blender (or a food processor).Step 9
To serve, cook the spaghetti to pack instructions. Reheat the hidden Mediterranean sauce. Spoon the pasta into bowls, placing 3-4 meatballs on top then spoon over the vegetable sauce and serve immediately.