Pasta with polpette

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 500 g spaghetti or other pasta
• e.g. Parmesan
• 500 g minced meat
• 1 onion(s)
• 1 garlic clove(s)
• 1 egg(s)
• 80 g white bread
• 80 ml milk
• 2 sprigs of parsley
• 1 tbsp flour
• salt and pepper
• Olive oil for frying
• 1 liter tomatoes, pureed
• 1 onion(s)
• 1 garlic clove(s)
• 350 ml vegetable stock or meat stock
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1 sprig of parsley
• Olive oil for frying
• salt and pepper

Instructions

Working time approx. 45 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 2 hours; Total time approx. 2 hours 45 minutes

Pasta with meatballs

For the tomato sauce, finely chop the onion and sauté in a little olive oil in a pan for 2-3 minutes. Crush the garlic and add it. Deglaze with the stock. Add the tomato puree, vinegar, salt, and pepper, and simmer the sauce for about 1.5 hours until it is creamy. Then add the chopped parsley, oregano, and thyme. You can increase the cooking time depending on how thick you want the sauce to be. Meanwhile, for the meatballs, finely chop the onion, garlic, and parsley and add them to the meat. Dice the white bread, pour over the milk, and add to the meat along with the egg. Season the meat mixture with salt and pepper, mix, and form into small, walnut-sized balls. Grease a pan with olive oil. Lightly dust the meatballs with flour and brown them on all sides. The roasting is all that matters for the flavor; the balls don’t need to be thoroughly cooked, as they’ll cook in the sauce later. After the sauce has simmered for 1.5 hours, add the balls and cook for another 30 minutes. Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to the package instructions. A sprinkle of Parmesan cheese completes the dish.