What do you do when you have people coming over to watch the footy in just under an hour and you happen to have bought a little pack of mince beef from Costco, 3.4 kilos to be exact – well, when a warehouse club gives you industrial serves of mince beef, you make meatballs. Perfect on a cold, foggy day and much more delicious than traditional mystery meat pies I’m sure these will become a winter staple in your house. The secret is a good hit of paprika and smoky barbecue sauce – trust me, they taste better than they look in the picture. Oh, and in case you were wondering, Adelaide won by a point.
Sunday Afternoon Meatballs
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Serves: about 40 meatballs
Ingredients
for the meatballs
- 1.2 kg beef mince
- 1 large onion, peeled
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled
- handful of fresh basil leaves, about 15
- 2 eggs
- 100g grated parmesan
- ½ tsp chilli powder
- ½ tsp hot or smoky paprika
- 2 tbsp mixed herbs
- pinch of nutmeg
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
for the sauce
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1 large white onion, peeled
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 2 tins (400g each) diced tomatoes
- 3 tbsp smoky barbecue sauce
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp paprika
- basil leaves, for garnish
- grated cheddar, for garnish
- creme fraiche or sour cream (optional)
- serve with sourdough, pasta or rice
Instructions
to make the meatballs
- Chuck the onion, garlic and basil into a food processor and pulse until the ingredients are almost a fine dice.
- Place the beef mince into a large mixing bowl (I used my KitchenAid with the paddle attachment) and the ground onion mixture, eggs, parmesan and spices. Mix until well combined.
- Shape mixture into approx 1½" meatballs.
- In a large frying pan over medium heat, heat oil and add meatballs to the pan in a single layer. Cook for about 2 minutes per side or until browned, then turn them so that they cook on the other side - don't worry if they're not cooked through at this stage, they'll be simmered in tomato sauce later. Set aside.
to make the sauce
- Using the food processor again, pulse the onion until it's a fine dice and set aside.
- Blend the diced tomatoes.
- Heat oil in another saucepan over medium heat.
- Add the onion and saute until cooked, then add the white wine to deglaze. Add the blended tomatoes, barbecue sauce, spices and simmer for five minutes until slightly thickened. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Add the meatballs to the sauce and simmer covered, on low for another 5 minutes.
- Top with basil leaves, grated cheese and/or creme fraiche on the side. Serve with pasta, sourdough or whatever else takes your fancy.
I love a good meatball recipe and this looks delicious. Sorry to see you go on Masterchef last night, you were fab and I am so happy to have found your blog – the recipes and styling are inspirational as I am also a blogger/stylist (and crazy cat lady/cat woman sounds better maybe). Looking forward to following you on your journey!
Cat woman – I love it! I’m changing my official title. Thanks for your support, I can’t wait to check out your blog when I finally get a chance to sit on the couch, it’s been a hectic last few days.