Meatball pasta bake recipe

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 200˚C/fan 180˚C/gas 6.
2. Place onion in food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Divide puréed onion in half. In one half, add mince, dried herbs, mustard, egg, half the zucchini, salt, and pepper.
3. Pulse until combined. Transfer to bowl, divide into 20 portions, and shape into meatballs.
4. Spray frying pan with cooking spray and heat over high heat. Add meatballs in batches and cook 1-2 minutes per side until browned. Transfer to plate.
5. Reduce heat to medium and fry remaining onion and zucchini 2-3 minutes until softened. Stir in tomatoes, stock, and harissa. Bring to boil.
6. Stir pasta into tomato sauce. Transfer to large roasting tin (35cm x 24cm). Top with meatballs. Cover with foil and bake 20-25 minutes until meatballs are cooked through and pasta is al dente.
7. Crumble feta over top, sprinkle with parsley, and serve hot with salad or vegetables.

Here are a few tips for making this delicious meatball pasta bake:

1. For extra flavor, add a pinch of grated nutmeg to the meatball mixture.
2. If you don’t have a food processor, you can chop the onion and courgettes by hand. Just make sure they are finely chopped so that the meatballs will hold their shape.
3. Don’t overcrowd the skillet when browning the meatballs.
4. This will prevent them from browning evenly.
5. If you don’t have low-calorie cooking spray, you can use olive oil instead. Just be sure to use a light hand so that the meatballs don’t become too greasy.
6. For a richer flavor, use whole milk instead of skimmed milk in the sauce.
7. If you don’t have rose harissa paste, you can substitute with another type of harissa paste or even a spicy tomato paste.
8. Top the pasta bake with additional Parmesan cheese before serving, if desired.
9. Enjoy this hearty and flavorful dish with a side of salad or crusty bread.