Go Back Email Link

hangry little miss logo

Print Recipe

Bitesize Meatballs in Tomato Sauce

Bitesize meatballs in tomato sauce is perfect with spaghetti 😊 A mini meatball in a rich smooth sauce for every forkful. Cute AND practical!
Makes about 40-55 meatballs – 10-14 per serving.
It takes about 15 minutes to make the meatballs. They can be made while the tomato sauce is simmering.
Prep Time40 minutes
Cook Time35 minutes
Total Time1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 4
Author: Hangry Miss

Equipment

  • large shallow pan with a lid, about 30cm diameter. We want to be able to cook the meatballs in a single layer.

Ingredients

Sauce

  • 15 g butter
  • Tablespoon olive oil
  • 700 ml passata
  • teaspoon dried oregano
  • ½ Tablespoon sugar
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • (optional) parmesan rind (note)
  • 100 ml whole milk

Meatballs

  • 30 g parmesan
  • big handful parsley leaves about 15g
  • 1 lemon
  • teaspoon dried oregano
  • 35g semolina (3 tablespoons)
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 egg
  • 250 g ground pork/pork mince
  • 250 g ground beef/beef mince

To Serve

  • finely chopped parsley
  • finely grated parmesan cheese

Instructions

Sauce

  • Preheat Pan – over medium heat. Add the butter and oil and melt together.
    15 g butter
    Tablespoon olive oil
  • Passata – tip in the whole jar of passata. Then half fill the emptied jar with water (you’ll find it easier to see the halfway point if you remove the label). Put the lid on (tightly!) and shake it up. Pour the tomato-ey water into the pan. Add oregano, sugar, salt, pepper and parmesan rind (if you have). Stir and bring to a gentle simmer (keeping the lid off) while you make your meatballs.
    700 ml passata
    teaspoon dried oregano
    ½ Tablespoon sugar
    ½ teaspoon salt
    freshly ground black pepper
    (optional) parmesan rind (note)

Make Meatballs

  • Dry Ingredients – add to a large bowl as you go. Finely grate the parmesan and finely chop the parsley leaves. Zest the lemon, using the smallest holes of a box grater or a zester like microplane. Add oregano, semolina, salt and some freshly ground black pepper. Rub together between your hands to combine well and release the oils in the lemon zest.
    30 g parmesan
    teaspoon dried oregano
    35g semolina
    big handful parsley leaves
    1 lemon
    ¼ teaspoon salt
    freshly ground black pepper
  • Egg – lightly whisk the egg in a small bowl. Add this to the dry ingredients and stir through.
    1 egg
  • Mince – add the pork and beef mince. Combine with your hands until everything is well-incorporated.
    250 g ground pork/pork mince
    250 g ground beef/beef mince
  • Form Balls - pinch about teaspoon’s worth (10-15g) of meatball mix. Weigh the first few, then portion them by sight/feel. You’ll end up with about 45 'bits' of mince. Go back and lightly roll each between your palms. Transfer to a plate in a single layer.

Cook Meatballs

  • Milk – just before you add your meatballs to the sauce, stir in the milk.
    100 ml whole milk
  • Drop in Balls – one by one, drop the meatballs into the sauce with a light touch. Once all are in, give the pan a few gentle shimmies to ensure the balls are distributed in a single layer. They need to be immersed in the sauce. We don't want to stir them while they're raw and very soft.
  • Simmer – bring everything to a boil, then adjust the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook, uncovered, for about 35 minutes. Stir a few times with a flexible spatula with care. We need to make sure the meatballs are evenly cooked, and make sure the sauce is not sticking to the bottom of the pan. Shimmy the pan after stirring to ensure the meatballs are nestled back in the sauce. Cut a meatball in half to make sure they are not undercooked or pink in the middle.
  • Serve - topped with some parsley and parmesan.
    finely grated parmesan cheese
    finely chopped parsley

Notes

If you freeze your parmesan rinds, they’re great for adding flavour to stews and sauces.
Make Ahead
You can make both the tomato sauce and the meatball mix up to three days before. Once cooked, it will be fine for another 3 days in the fridge, or up to 3 months in the freezer.
Freeze
This recipe freezes well. There are two options. You can either freeze the raw meatball mix before forming the balls or freeze the cooked meatballs in sauce. If you’re freezing the raw meatball mix, try transferring to a small ziplock bag. Press out excess air and press the meat out flat for faster defrosting later.
I wouldn’t bother forming the raw meatballs before freezing. It would be hard to keep them from sticking together and protected from freezer burn.
Leftovers
Heat through leftovers gently in a covered saucepan on the stovetop. You can even reheat directly from frozen this way. Handy if you forgot to defrost ‘properly’ in time). They'll be cooked by the time the pasta's ready!