Italian Baked Meatballs
You can make the tomato sauce up to 3 days ahead and the meatballs 1 day ahead. Both can also be frozen for up to a month. Then leave to thaw, add the cheese and bake.
Prep: 30 min
Cook: 1 h 10 min
Servings: 4
Energy: 1460 kcal per serving
Method
01.
For the tomato sauce, gently fry the onion and garlic in the oil in a pan for about 5 minutes until softened. Then add the tomatoes and sugar, season with salt and simmer for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.
02.
Meanwhile, prepare the meatballs: preheat the oven to 220°C, or 200°C for a fan oven. Blitz the bread coarsely, sprinkle with milk and leave to soak for 5 minutes. Then add all the remaining ingredients, season the meat mixture with salt and pepper and mix well. Shape into walnut-sized meatballs and arrange them on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown.
03.
Put the cooked meatballs into the sauce and transfer everything to a baking dish. Top with the mozzarella and bake for 8–10 minutes until the cheese has melted. Remove from the oven and leave to rest for 2–3 minutes. Serve with baguette.
04.
You may think there are too many anchovies in the meatballs, but don't worry – they won't taste fishy. They only deepen the flavour; anchovies are one of the sources of the fifth taste, umami. If you don't believe it, first add only part of them to the mixture, fry a little of the mixture in a pan and taste it. You can then add the rest to taste.
