Ingredients
1 cup wholemeal breadcrumbs
(100g)
600g minced beef
2 cloves garlic
finely chopped, for meatballs
1 egg
lightly beaten
½ cup parmesan cheese
(40g), freshly grated, for meatballs
2 tbsp sage
chopped
2 tbsp parsley
chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
for meatballs
2 tsp fennel seeds
toasted
2 tbsp olive oil
for sauce
2 red onions
diced
4 cloves garlic
finely chopped, for sauce
2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes
500g penne
¼ cup basil leaves
1 cup parmesan
(80g), freshly shaved, for topping
Equipment
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Frying pan
- 1 Saucepan
- 1 Large baking dish (8-cup capacity)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200°C or 180°C fan.
- To make the meatballs; combine all meatball ingredients (breadcrumbs, beef, 2 garlic cloves, egg, 1/2 cup parmesan, sage, parsley, 2 tsp fennel seeds) in a bowl and season to taste. Wet your hands and roll the meat mixture into small balls (about half the size of a golf ball).
- Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat and brown the meatballs on all sides, in batches.
- Meanwhile, heat 2 tbsp olive oil over medium and cook onions until soft and translucent.
- Tip in the canned tomatoes and 4 cloves of garlic, lower heat and cook for 15 mins. Season to taste.
- Cook penne according to packet instructions. Drain, keeping 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid, and tip back into the saucepan.
- Carefully stir through the meatballs, sauce, cheeses and basil. Add the reserved pasta cooking liquid to thin the dish out and then tip into a large (8-cup capacity) baking dish.
- Sprinkle with the 1 cup of shaved parmesan and cook for 20 mins or until bubbly and golden.
Notes
Tip
If you don’t think your kids will like the fennel then either leave it out or swap for extra herbs.
Variation
If you’d like this dish to be extra ‘cheesy’, then dot some bocconcini cheese on the top before baking.
