Fennel casserole with meatballs

Ingredients for 6 servings:

• 4 bulbs of fennel
• 8 large potatoes
• 500 g minced meat, mixed
• 1 pack of mozzarella
• 1 pack of pine nuts
• 2 can/n tomatoes, chunky
• 1 onion(s)
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 eggs
• rosemary
• Thyme
• salt and pepper
• Sugar
• Paprika powder
• Meat broth, granulated

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Total time approx. 30 minutes

Anyone who had bad experiences with fennel tea as a child should try this method of preparing fennel. Peel and quarter the potatoes, halve the fennel bulbs (reserving the greens), remove the stalk, halve again, and cut into 1cm-thick strips. Peel and finely chop the onions and garlic. Chop all the herbs, including the fennel greens. Season the minced meat to taste (salt, pepper, paprika), add 2 eggs, and mix. Sauté the onions and garlic in a pan with a little olive oil until translucent. Then add the fennel and potato wedges and fry for 2 minutes. Deglaze with the chopped tomatoes, season well, and season with the herbs, granulated stock, paprika, salt, and pepper. Simmer everything together for about 10 minutes, then season thoroughly. Transfer everything to a casserole dish. Form the minced meat into small balls and place them in the mixture. Place the pine nuts and mozzarella on top and bake in a preheated oven at 160°C for 35-40 minutes.