Recipe: Garlic olive oil pasta with meatballs

Fast and delicious, this is a meal big on flavour when you are short on time. Photo / Fresh Media

When you need some carb comfort food in a hurry, this garlicky spaghetti topped with juicy meatballs is the perfect solution.

Pre-made meatballs are a lifesaver when you want to pull a fast meal together. Some barely wilted spinach adds your greens to the dish, and there’s a big hit of flavour with the garlic and chilli flakes.

Garlic olive oil pasta with meatballs

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 packet spaghetti

500g meatballs

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

6-8 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced

½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes

¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped

1 120g bag baby spinach leaves

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Method

1. Heat a large, heavy-based pan over medium heat and cook the meatballs until well-browned.
2. While the meatballs are cooking, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the spaghetti according to the package instructions.
3. When the meatballs are cooked, remove them from the pan and set aside.
4. Add the ¼ cup olive oil to the pan and cook the garlic, stirring frequently, for 1-2 minutes. Stir in the baby spinach leaves and crushed red pepper flakes, and cook for an additional 30 seconds – just enough to wilt the spinach.
5. Turn off the heat and add the cooked spaghetti directly from the pot into the pan with the meatballs. Don’t drain it too thoroughly as you transfer it to the pot – you want a little bit of pasta water in the pan.
6. Add a couple of extra tablespoons of the pasta water as needed to coat the spaghetti evenly.
7. Just before serving, toss the cooked meatballs through the pasta, sprinkle in the chopped parsley and freshly grated Parmesan cheese and stir gently to combine.
8. Serve with extra Parmesan on the side and, if you’re truly in the mood for a carb-fest, add a loaf of garlic bread.

– fresh.co.nz