Spaghetti with pesto and meatballs

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 500g spaghetti
• e.g. butter
• 500 g minced beef
• 2 eggs
• 1 handful of breadcrumbs
• salt and pepper
• 500 ml water for boiling
• Vegetable cream for frying
• 3 onions
• 380 g pesto, green
• 250 g mini tomatoes
• 125 g mini mozzarella
• some arugula, optional
• Parmesan, freshly grated, optional

Instructions

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

Place the minced meat, eggs, and a handful of breadcrumbs in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste and knead well. Shape the mixture into small balls and set aside. Dice the onions. Quarter the baby tomatoes. Quarter the baby mozzarella. Place a large cast iron pan over high heat and grease with plenty of vegetable cream. When the vegetable cream starts to bubble, add the meatballs and brown briefly on all sides. Add all the water (or enough to cover the meatballs) to the pan and cook over high heat until the meatballs are cooked. If the meatballs aren’t quite flavorful enough, you can add more seasoning in the pan. If they cook faster than the rest of the meatballs, reduce the heat to low to prevent them from cooling down. Meanwhile, prepare the spaghetti according to the package instructions. Add a little butter or margarine to the pasta water to prevent the spaghetti from sticking together. Heat a saucepan over medium heat and grease it with a little vegetable cream. When the vegetable cream starts to bubble, briefly sauté the quartered mini tomatoes and then set aside. Reusing the saucepan, add a little vegetable cream and fry the onions until golden brown. Add the green pesto and mix. When the pesto starts to simmer, remove the pan from the heat. If this cooks faster than the rest, reduce the heat to a low setting to prevent it from cooling down. To serve, transfer the spaghetti to plates, then spoon the pesto sauce over it and garnish with the meatballs, mini tomato pieces, and mini mozzarella pieces. For a finishing touch, add a fresh arugula leaf and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.