Description
These Tomato Meatballs with Linguine are pure comfort food, tender beef meatballs baked in a creamy tomato sauce that’s just a little bit spicy, then tossed with soft strands of pasta. It’s hearty, homey, and the kind of dinner everyone goes quiet for at the table.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Meatballs:
- 500 g extra lean beef mince, broken up into bits
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 1 medium tomato, finely diced
- 1 medium green chili, chopped (add another if you like extra heat)
- 30 ml Worcestershire sauce
- 25 ml brown vinegar
- 75 ml milk
- 1 tsp salt
- Black pepper, to taste
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp sweet basil
- 80 ml raw oats
Sauce:
- 1 packet Royco Cream of Tomato soup
- 3 cups cold water
- A good pinch of cayenne pepper
Optional Topping:
- 1/4 cup grated mozzarella cheese
- 1/4 cup grated ricotta cheese
- Fresh basil leaves, for garnish
Serve:
- Linguine pasta, cooked according to packet instructions
- Fresh green salad (optional, but perfect on the side)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F).
- Grease a deep casserole dish lightly with a bit of oil, nothing fancy, just enough so the meatballs don’t stick.
- In a large bowl, add 500 g extra lean beef mince, 1 chopped onion, 1 finely diced tomato, and 1 chopped green chili.
- Drizzle in 30 ml Worcestershire sauce, 25 ml brown vinegar, and 75 ml milk.
- Sprinkle in 1 tsp salt, a good few cracks of black pepper, ½ tsp dried thyme, ½ tsp sweet basil, and 80 ml raw oats.
- Don’t overwork the mixture, just stir gently with a fork or your hands until everything’s mixed through.
- Roll the mixture into medium-sized balls (about golf ball size) and place them snugly into your greased casserole dish. Pop the lid on and bake for 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a jug, whisk together 1 packet Royco Cream of Tomato soup, 3 cups cold water, and a pinch of cayenne pepper until smooth.
- After 20 minutes, remove the casserole lid and pour the tomato soup mixture over the meatballs.
- Return to the oven and bake another 25 minutes, uncovered this time.
- Optional but highly recommended: After 20 minutes of baking, sprinkle ¼ cup of mozzarella and ¼ cup of ricotta cheese over the meatballs.
- Let it melt into gooey, golden perfection for the last few minutes.
- While the meatballs finish baking, cook your linguine pasta as per the packet instructions.
- Drain, then gently toss it with the hot tomato meatballs and sauce.
- Top with fresh basil leaves before serving.
- Serve warm with a crisp green salad and maybe some crusty bread to mop up the sauce.
Notes
Created, prepared, tried, and tested by Gail
