Homemade Meatballs in AMAZING Tomato Sauce
These homemade meatballs are hearty & flavourful and they're covered in the tastiest tomato sauce made from scratch with love
Ingredients
For the tomato sauce
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 large brown/yellow onion (finely chopped)
- 1 large carrot (peeled and diced into small cubes)
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 700 gm passata (NOTE 1)
- ½ cup water
- 5 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves (not too packed)
- 1 tsp dried Italian herbs (NOTE 2)
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tbsp sugar
- ¾ tsp salt
- ½ cup thickened cream (NOTE 3)
- salt and pepper to taste
For the meatballs
- 1 kg minced beef (ground beef) (NOTE 4)
- ¾ cup breadcrumbs (from 1 day old bread) (NOTE 5)
- 1 large egg
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tbsp tomato sauce (ketchup)
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp dried rosemary
- 1 tsp dried Italian herbs
- 1 tsp smoked paprika (or any paprika)
- 1 tsp thyme (fresh or dried)
- 1 tsp salt
Instructions
- Heat oil over medium-high heat in a large deep frying pan or in a saucepan. Add in the garlic and onions and stir-fry for a minute or until aromatic. Place in the carrot and stir-fry for 2 minutes, then add the tomato paste and stir-fry for a minute. Stir in the passata and water and bring it to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low, then stir in the thyme, basil, Italian herbs, oregano, sugar and salt. Cover the sauce and cook for 30 minutes or until it's thickened.
- Meanwhile, prepare the meatballs. Combine all the ingredients for the meatballs in a large bowl using your hands. For smaller-sized meatballs, scoop 1 tablespoon at a time, then roll them into balls. For larger ones like I've made, scoop 2 tablespoons.
- Increase the heat to medium, then place the meatballs into the sauce in a single layer. Cover and cook the meatballs for 15 minutes for large meatballs and 8 minutes for the smaller ones. Don't stir the sauce in between the cooking time as meatballs will fall apart.
- Once the meatballs are cooked, stir in the cream and cook for two more minutes. Have a taste and adjust the salt and pepper to your liking.
Notes
(NOTE 1) Passata (pureed tomatoes) - Passata is pureed tomatoes that have been strained to form a smooth consistency. Supermarkets usually stock passata near canned tomatoes and pasta sauces. You could swap passata for an equal amount of tinned crushed tomatoes.
(NOTE 2) Dried Italian herbs are premixed herbs usually comprising marjoram, basil, capsicum, rosemary, oregano, parsley and thyme.
(NOTE 3) Thickened cream (whipping cream) has gelatine added to it and contains 35% milk fat. To maintain a smooth, rich consistency, I don’t recommend using low-fat cream as it will thin out the sauce. You could swap thickened cream for an equal amount of pure cream.
(NOTE 4) Beef mince (ground beef) - If possible, use good quality mince with some fat mixed in. The fat will make the meatballs tender and flavourful, whereas lean beef may cause the meatballs to taste a little dry.
(NOTE 5) Breadcrumbs - I used one-day-old white bread and blitzed them into breadcrumbs using a food processor.
Serving suggestions - These meatballs go amazing with crusty bread, pasta or just with your favourite salad.
Leftovers - Allow the meatballs to cool completely at room temperature, then transfer them into a sealed container and store them in the fridge for up to 4 days. They also freeze well for up to 2 to 3 months.
I've used a third-party application to calculate the calories and nutritional information, so please use this as an approximate guide only.
Cooking measurements are in Australian standard spoon and cup measurements. For specific details and conversions, visit our Australian Cooking Measurements page.
Nutrition
Serving: 1servingCalories: 510kcalCarbohydrates: 20gProtein: 26gFat: 37gSaturated Fat: 14gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 16gTrans Fat: 2gCholesterol: 129mgSodium: 750mgPotassium: 927mgFiber: 3gSugar: 9gVitamin A: 2646IUVitamin C: 15mgCalcium: 97mgIron: 5mg