Meatballs are always a popular meal in our house. We all love meatballs. I especially like this dish lot as it is easy to prepare and cook. I like to be able to prepare meals in advance. It makes my life a lot easier on the day.
Most of the time I will make the meatballs in the morning and store them in the fridge. Then all I have to do is make the sauce and boil the pasta at dinner time. Simples, yes! As a busy mum I like to make my life easy but I also like to have a healthy meal on the table. Therefore preparing in advance really helps me with this task. Plus we all get to eat well at the end of the day.
Do you love to prepare in advance and if so what do you enjoy preparing? Let me know in the comments below and please don’t forget to like and follow me.
Serves 4
Ingredients for the meatballs
- Pork or beef mince x 500g
- Ground flax seed x 4 tbsp
- Tamari x 2 tbsp
- Salt and pepper to taste
Method for the meatballs
- Put the ground flax seed and tamari into the large bowl and mix these ingredients together.
- Add in the pork or beef mince and salt and pepper to taste.
- Wet your hands under the tap and make sure your hands are damp.
- Scrunch all the ingredients together with your hand.
- When everything is mixed together divide into four parts.
- Take one of the four parts and start to make meatballs from the part.
- It should make about three large or four smaller meatballs.
- Put the meatballs onto the dinner plate and put them into the fridge for at least a couple of hours.
- Once you start making the sauce preheat the oven to 180°C or gas mark 5.
- Remove the meatballs from the fridge and place into the baking tray.
- Put the baking tray into the oven for 25 – 30 minutes or until the juices run clear from the meat.
- To check the juices run clear put a skewer into a meatball and let the juice run from it.
- If it’s clear take them out and if not leave them in for five more minutes or until the juices runs clear.
Ingredients for the sauce
- Onion x 1
- Garlic x 2 cloves
- Tomatoes x 1 400g tins
- Courgette x 1
- Carrot x 1
- Red pepper x 1
- Tomato puree x 1
- Tamari x 2 tbsp
- Bone broth or chicken stock x 100mls
- Cashew nut cream cheese x 1 recipe or cream cheese x 200g
- Dried mixed herbs x 1 – 2 tsps
- Salt and pepper to taste
Method for the sauce
- Start by making the cashew nut cream cheese.
- Peel and grate the carrot and courgette.
- Next peel, slice and dice the onion and the garlic.
- Slice the top from the red pepper and remove the core and stalk.
- Now slice the flesh of the pepper.
- Put the sauce pan onto a high heat on the hob.
- Add oil to the base of the pan.
- Once the pan is hot add in the onions and fry for a couple of minutes.
- If the pan gets to hot turn the heat down slightly.
- Next add in the garlic and fry for a minute or so.
- Now add in the grated carrot and courgette and sliced red pepper.
- If the ingredients stick to the base of the pan add a little water.
- Fry these ingredients for a good five minutes or until everything is soft.
- Next add in the tomatoes and the stock and turn the heat back up.
- Sprinkle over the dried mixed herbs and salt and pepper to your taste.
- Bring all the ingredients to the boil.
- Add in the tomato puree and the tamari.
- Turn the heat down and leave to simmer.
- Leave on the hob for 30 minutes or so.
- This can be made before the oven is preheated for the meatballs.
- Once the sauce has started to thicken remove from the heat and leave to cool.
- When the sauce has cooled pour into the blender.
- Along with the cashew nut cream cheese or the cream cheese.
- Blend these ingredients until they are smooth.
- Put the sauce back onto a low heat and leave to simmer.
- Cook the pasta as per the packet instructions.
- When the meatballs are cooked and the sauce is thick and creamy serve.
- Then enjoy.
Simple Meatballs and Creamy Tomato Pasta was a delicious non dairy dinner we all enjoyed. All of the ingredients in this dish are freezable so you could make a batch of the meatballs. Then store these in the freezer for another occasion. Also the meal made love leftovers the next day too. However you decide to eat this dinner, as always, please enjoy. Thank you xxx
Googies Kitchen Life 