Spaghetti and meatballs

It’s hard to go past a classic spaghetti and meatballs. I usually make mine with a mixture of beef and pork mince, but I’ve found venison mince works equally as well. Again, just stir the sauce through the spaghetti at the end and dinner is straight from the oven to the table. Just don’t forget the herbs and the parmesan.

Sauce

1 Tbsp	Tomato paste
2 cans	Chopped tomatoes, 400g
2 cloves	Garlic, finely chopped
½ sachet	Beef stock, or chicken / vege stock
1 punnet	Cherry tomatoes

Meatballs

400 g	Mince, mixture of beef and pork or venison (Main)
½ cup	Breadcrumbs
2	Eggs
1 bunch	Parsley, finely chopped
1 bunch	Thyme, or oregano, finely chopped
1 pinch	Chilli flakes
1 tsp	Yellow mustard seeds
1 pinch	Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 serving	Oil, for frying

To serve

300 g	Spaghetti, cooked according to packet instructions
1 serving	Fresh basil, and parsely, roughly chopped
½ cup	Grated parmesan cheese

Directions

1. In a roasting tray, place tomato paste, chopped tomatoes and garlic. Stir together. Place in a 180C oven while you prepare the meatballs, about 20 minutes.
2. In a bowl, place mince, breadcrumbs, eggs, herbs, chilli flakes, mustard seeds and salt and pepper. Mix together until well combined.
3. Roll mince mixture into golf ball-sized meatballs. In a frying pan, heat a little oil and fry the balls in batches, to get a crispy edge. They will finish cooking in the oven, so don't worry about cooking through.
4. Remove tomato mixture from the oven and add meatballs. Add stock and cherry tomatoes. Stir together well.
5. Return to oven and cook for about 20 minutes, turning and stirring once during cooking. Remove from oven and add spaghetti. Stir and serve with fresh parsley and parmesan.

Check out more of Delaney's weeknight meals

• Eggplant and chickpea salad
• Fish, tomato and green bean hot pot