Pork Meatballs & Spaghetti for Dinner

Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat. Cook the meatballs, turning, until browned and cooked through, 10-12 minutes. Transfer to a plate. While the meatballs are cooking, add the spaghetti to the saucepan of boiling water and cook until ‘al dente’, 10 minutes. Reserve some pasta water (1/2 cup for 2 people / 1 cup for 4 people). Drain the pasta and return to the saucepan. Drizzle with a little olive oil to prevent sticking and cover with a lid to keep warm.

Finely chop the brown onion and celery. Grate the carrot (unpeeled). Slice the cherry tomatoes in half. Return the large frying pan to a medium-high heat with a drizzle of olive oil. Add the brown onion, celery and carrot and cook, stirring often, until softened, 3-4 minutes. Add the tomato paste and the remaining garlic and oregano and cook until fragrant, 1 minute.

Add the passata, some reserved cooking water (1/4 cup for 2 people / 1/2 cup for 4 people) and 1/2 the cherry tomatoes to the frying pan. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until thickened, 5-7 minutes. Stir through the butter and season to taste with salt, sugar and pepper. Reserve about 10 meatballs for your lunch, then add the remaining meatballs to the sauce to heat through. TIP: Add a splash more cooking water for a looser sauce.

While the sauce is cooking, pick and thinly slice the basil leaves. Divide the spaghetti between bowls and spoon over the meatballs and sauce. Sprinkle with the shaved Parmesan cheese, a pinch of chilli flakes (if using) and garnish with the basil.