Rice balls in tomato sauce

Ingredients for 12 servings:

• 1,200 g minced meat, mixed
• 300 g rice
• 8 can/n tomatoes, chopped
• 40 g parsley
• 5 eggs
• 4 onions
• 7 cloves garlic
• 1 chili pepper(s)
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vegetable stock powder
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 pinch(s) of sugar
• 1 tbsp olive oil

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 45 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 15 minutes

First, cook the rice in boiling water until half cooked, so it still has a good bite. Drain and set aside. Meanwhile, finely chop the onions, garlic, and chili pepper and set aside a large bowl. Brown the onions and garlic in a tablespoon of olive oil and add the parsley. Add the chili pepper to the tomato sauce, and the rest of the ingredients to the large bowl. Simmer the canned tomatoes along with the finely chopped chili peppers, half the garlic, salt, pepper, and oregano. Add a pinch of sugar. Now it’s time to make the rice balls. The large bowl already contains the garlic, parsley, and onions. Mix these together with the rice, minced meat, eggs, salt, pepper, and a little vegetable stock powder until a smooth mixture is formed. Form 24 rice balls from this mixture. Carefully add the balls, one at a time, to the simmering tomato sauce, which is no longer boiling hot. Be careful not to stir the balls too vigorously, as this could cause them to break apart. Simmer for 15 minutes on one side, then gently mix them together with a wooden spoon. Let them swim in the tomato sauce for another 15 minutes on the other side. They taste great on their own as a soup with a small slice of mozzarella on top of each ball. If you like, cook some extra rice and serve with a green salad.