These tender meatballs sit in a rich, gently tangy rich tomato sauce, finished with a spoonful of fresh basil pesto. Served with thick slices of toasted sourdough, it’s a comforting, full-flavoured meal made for mopping up every last bit of sauce.
Ingredients
- For the meatballs
- 300 g 20% fat pork mince, 20% fat
- 40 g Ricotta
- 1 Eggs
- 25 g Panko breadcrumbs
- 25 g Parmesan, finely grated
- 2 Garlic cloves, finely grated
- 8 g Flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
- 4.5 g Fine sea salt, 1.2% of the mince weight
- 1.5 g Black pepper, freshly ground
- For the sauce
- 400 g Tinned plum tomatoes, blended or passed through a food mill
- 3 Garlic cloves, finely sliced
- 25 g Parmesan
- 20 g Extra virgin olive oil
- 10 g Butter, chilled
- For the toast
- 2 slices (100g) Sourdough
- 20 g Extra virgin olive oil
- Fine sea salt, a pinch
- 1 tsp Dried oregano
- 1 Garlic cloves, halved
- For the pesto
- 50 g Fresh basil, leaves picked
- 30 g Pine nuts, toasted and cooled
- 1 Garlic cloves, minced
- 35 g Parmesan, finely grated
- 15 g Pecorino Romano, finely grated
- 80 g Extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp (5g) Fresh lemon juice
- 0.25 tsp (5g) Fine sea salt
- To finish
- 30 g Pecorino Romano, finely grated, or Parmesan
Equipment
- Stainless steel frying pan
- Food processor or food mill
- Microplane grater →
Combine the pork mince, ricotta, egg, panko, Parmesan, garlic, parsley, salt, and black pepper in a bowl. Mix until just combined and shape into medium meatballs.
Heat a large stainless steel frying pan over a medium heat with a drizzle of neutral oil. Place the meatballs in the pan with space between each to prevent steaming, and brown on one side without moving them. See how to sear properly for the technique. They should release easily with a shake of the pan once properly browned — if they stick, leave them a little longer.
Flip and brown the other side, cooking in batches if the pan is too crowded.
Push the meatballs to one side of the pan and add the olive oil to the empty space. Add the sliced garlic and cook for around 1 minute, watching closely — it should not colour, as burnt garlic will turn the whole dish bitter.
Add the blended plum tomatoes and stir to combine, scraping up any fond from the base of the pan. Bring to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes.
While the sauce simmers, preheat the oven to 200°C (392°F). Drizzle the sourdough slices with olive oil on both sides — you may need slightly more or less depending on the bread. Season with salt and sprinkle over the dried oregano.
Place in the oven for 10–15 minutes until golden and crisp.
Slice the garlic clove in half and rub the toast all over with the cut side while it’s still warm. Slice each piece in half.
While the sauce continues to simmer, toast the pine nuts in a dry frying pan over a medium heat until golden and fragrant. Tip onto a plate to cool completely before blending.
Pick the basil leaves, mince the garlic, and finely grate the Parmesan and Pecorino on a microplane.
Add the salt, garlic, and cooled pine nuts to a food processor and pulse into a coarse crumb. Add the basil and pulse until chopped but still coarse, scraping down the sides as needed.
Add the cheeses and lemon juice and pulse to combine. With the processor running on a low speed, drizzle in the olive oil until just combined, stopping as soon as the pesto is thick and spoonable.
Season to taste, adding a little more lemon juice if you’d like more brightness.
After 30 minutes, remove the pan from the heat and leave to sit for 2 minutes. Then stir in the Parmesan and chilled butter until fully melted and combined. Season to taste.
Spoon the meatballs and sauce into a bowl, add a generous spoon of pesto to the side, and place the garlic toast alongside. Finish with a sprinkle of the remaining grated Pecorino or Parmesan.
Notes & Substitutions
Tinned tomatoes: good quality whole peeled plum tomatoes make a real difference here. Look for ones labelled San Marzano or a similar Italian DOP tomato where possible.
Pesto storage: keeps in the fridge for up to 4 days with a thin layer of olive oil poured over the top to stop it oxidising and browning.
Bread: a sturdy, open-crumbed sourdough holds up best to the olive oil and toasting. A softer sandwich loaf will crisp less evenly.
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Meatballs in Tomato Sauce with Pesto
COOKED
PROPERLY
Ingredients
- 300 g 20% fat pork mince (20% fat)
- 40 g Ricotta
- 1 Eggs
- 25 g Panko breadcrumbs
- 25 g Parmesan (finely grated)
- 2 Garlic cloves (finely grated)
- 8 g Flat-leaf parsley (finely chopped)
- 4.5 g Fine sea salt (1.2% of the mince weight)
- 1.5 g Black pepper (freshly ground)
- 400 g Tinned plum tomatoes (blended or passed through a food mill)
- 3 Garlic cloves (finely sliced)
- 25 g Parmesan
- 20 g Extra virgin olive oil
- 10 g Butter (chilled)
- 2 slices Sourdough
- 20 g Extra virgin olive oil
- Fine sea salt (a pinch)
- 1 tsp Dried oregano
- 1 Garlic cloves (halved)
- 50 g Fresh basil (leaves picked)
- 30 g Pine nuts (toasted and cooled)
- 1 Garlic cloves (minced)
- 35 g Parmesan (finely grated)
- 15 g Pecorino Romano (finely grated)
- 80 g Extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp Fresh lemon juice
- 0.25 tsp Fine sea salt
- 30 g Pecorino Romano (finely grated, or Parmesan)
Equipment
- Stainless steel frying pan
- Food processor or food mill
- Microplane grater
Method
Shape the meatballs
300 g 20% fat pork mince · 40 g Ricotta · 1 Eggs · 25 g Panko breadcrumbs · 25 g Parmesan · 2 Garlic cloves · 8 g Flat-leaf parsley · 4.5 g Fine sea salt · 1.5 g Black pepper
Combine the pork mince, ricotta, egg, panko, Parmesan, garlic, parsley, salt, and black pepper in a bowl. Mix until just combined and shape into medium meatballs.
Brown the meatballs
Heat a large stainless steel frying pan over a medium heat with a drizzle of neutral oil. Place the meatballs in the pan with space between each to prevent steaming, and brown on one side without moving them. See how to sear properly for the technique. They should release easily with a shake of the pan once properly browned — if they stick, leave them a little longer.
Flip and brown the other side, cooking in batches if the pan is too crowded.
Build the sauce
400 g Tinned plum tomatoes · 3 Garlic cloves · 20 g Extra virgin olive oil
Push the meatballs to one side of the pan and add the olive oil to the empty space. Add the sliced garlic and cook for around 1 minute, watching closely — it should not colour, as burnt garlic will turn the whole dish bitter.
Add the blended plum tomatoes and stir to combine, scraping up any fond from the base of the pan. Bring to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes.
Make the garlic toast
2 slices Sourdough · 20 g Extra virgin olive oil · Fine sea salt · 1 tsp Dried oregano
While the sauce simmers, preheat the oven to 200°C (392°F). Drizzle the sourdough slices with olive oil on both sides — you may need slightly more or less depending on the bread. Season with salt and sprinkle over the dried oregano.
Place in the oven for 10–15 minutes until golden and crisp.
Rub and slice the toast
1 Garlic cloves
Slice the garlic clove in half and rub the toast all over with the cut side while it’s still warm. Slice each piece in half.
Rub the garlic while the toast is still warm and fresh from the oven, the heat mellows the raw garlic slightly. If you do not like the flavour of raw garlic, put the toast back into the oven for 1-2 minutes after rubbing.
Toast the pine nuts
30 g Pine nuts
While the sauce continues to simmer, toast the pine nuts in a dry frying pan over a medium heat until golden and fragrant. Tip onto a plate to cool completely before blending.
Make the pesto
50 g Fresh basil · 1 Garlic cloves · 35 g Parmesan · 15 g Pecorino Romano · 80 g Extra virgin olive oil · 1 tsp Fresh lemon juice · 0.25 tsp Fine sea salt
Pick the basil leaves, mince the garlic, and finely grate the Parmesan and Pecorino on a microplane.
Add the salt, garlic, and cooled pine nuts to a food processor and pulse into a coarse crumb. Add the basil and pulse until chopped but still coarse, scraping down the sides as needed.
Add the cheeses and lemon juice and pulse to combine. With the processor running on a low speed, drizzle in the olive oil until just combined, stopping as soon as the pesto is thick and spoonable.
Season to taste, adding a little more lemon juice if you’d like more brightness.
Stop the processor the moment the pesto turns spoonable rather than fully smooth. Over-blending bruises the basil and heats it slightly from the friction, turning the pesto a duller, browner green.
Finish the sauce
25 g Parmesan · 10 g Butter
After 30 minutes, remove the pan from the heat and leave to sit for 2 minutes. Then stir in the Parmesan and chilled butter until fully melted and combined. Season to taste.
Serve
30 g Pecorino Romano
Spoon the meatballs and sauce into a bowl, add a generous spoon of pesto to the side, and place the garlic toast alongside. Finish with a sprinkle of the remaining grated Pecorino or Parmesan.
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The wok costs £25. The heat underneath it is what you're really paying for.
£10-£25
One bowl per ingredient. It sounds simple. It changes everything.
£25-£75
The wok costs £25. The heat underneath it is what you're really paying for.
£10-£25
One bowl per ingredient. It sounds simple. It changes everything.
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