Meatballs & Roast Vegetable Sauce

This highly tasty and nutritious meal, is not only simple to make, but is a great mid-week crowd pleaser that’ll have you and your family making it a regular go-to recipe! You can make it even more convenient by buying packs of ready made meatballs, or it is equally easy to make your own as shown here.

This dish is also a great way to get veg into fussy eaters as the sauce is full of secret vegetables!

When following my diet plan, serve simply with courgetti, otherwise serve with wholewheat spaghetti to satisfy even the biggest appetites.

This recipe gives a generous dinner serving of four or a lighter lunch for six.

Ingredients:

Meatballs:

800g Lean Beef or Lamb Mince (or a mixture of the two)

1 Medium Egg

1 Tablespoon Italian Mix Dried Herbs

Salt and Ground Black Pepper to taste

Sauce & Topping:

1 Red Pepper

1 Orange Pepper

I Small Heart Celery

1 Medium Leek

2 Medium Red Onions

4-5 Peeled Cloves Garlic

1 Medium Punnet of Ripe Vine Tomatoes

1 Tin Chopped Tomatoes

2 Balls Mozzarella Cheese

Olive Oil

Salt and Ground Black Pepper

Lemon Juice for the Courgetti

Method:

1. Put the mince, egg, herbs, and salt and pepper in a large mixing bowl and mix well until the egg and seasonings are evenly combined throughout the mince.
2. Once well mixed you need to shape the meatballs. To do this, take a matchbox sized piece of the mince, and roll into a round ball. Place on a chopping board and repeat until all the mince is used up.
3. Cover and put the meatballs to one side.
4. Using a clean board, roughly chop all the fresh vegetables and put into a roasting tin.
5. Drizzle all over with the olive oil and add salt and pepper. Give the tin a good shake to ensure the vegetables are all lightly coated in oil and seasoning.
6. Place in the oven for 20-30 minutes at 200 degrees C.
7. Bake until vegetables are soft, turning if necessary.
8. Once the vegetables are roasted, tip them into a high sided jug or bowl and use a hand blender to puree into a thick sauce. Be careful as the mixture will be hot.
9. Add the tin of chopped tomatoes and stir in well.
10. Check the seasoning and if required add more salt and pepper to taste
11. Place the meatballs evenly in the bottom of the same roasting tin that you have just taken the vegetables out of, and pour over the sauce, ensuring all the meatballs are coated.
12. Slice each Mozzarella ball into 4, and place the pieces evenly over the top of the dish.
13. Return to the oven for 10-15 minutes or until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese is lightly browned.
14. Place the courgetti into bowls, squeeze over some fresh lemon juice, and season with salt and ground black pepper.
15. Serve the meatballs over the top of the courgetti – the heat from the sauce will be sufficient to warm the courgetti through.
16. Serve immediately and enjoy!