Spaghetti with meatballs

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 400 g minced beef
• 1 egg(s)
• 4 tbsp parsley, chopped
• ½ tsp chili pepper(s), crushed dried red (more to taste)
• 2 slices of crustless toast
• 2 tbsp milk
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 100 ml red wine
• 500 ml tomato(s), pureed
• 400 ml vegetable stock
• 1 tsp sugar
• 500g spaghetti
• salt and pepper
• Parmesan, freshly grated

Instructions

Working time approx. 40 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 40 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 20 minutes

Spaghetti con Polpettine

Mix the minced meat with the egg, half the parsley, and half the chilies, and season with salt and pepper. Soak the bread in milk, squeeze out any excess water, and stir it into the minced meat mixture (you can also add 1 finely chopped garlic clove here). Form it into lots of small balls. Heat oil in a large pan and fry the meatballs well on all sides. Once they’re all browned, deglaze with the wine. In another large pot, heat the passata and broth, add the remaining chilies and sugar. Season with salt and pepper. Add the meatballs and the wine to the sauce, cover, and simmer for another 20 minutes—or longer if you prefer. If the sauce is too runny, add a little more tomato paste. Cook the pasta al dente and serve with the sauce. Serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese. If you’re cooking for children, or depending on your taste, you can omit the wine and chilies, or if you like it spicier, increase the amount of chilies. I also like to add two packets of passata, so sauce lovers have even more sauce. The sauce with the meatballs tastes almost even better the next day, well-saturated.