Beef & Basil Pesto Meatballs
topBannerName Desktop
topBannerName Tablet
topBannerName Mobile
Beef & Basil Pesto Meatballs

Beef & Basil Pesto Meatballs

with Spaghetti & Semi-Dried Tomatoes

Change what you know about meatballs by adding a dollop of basil pesto to your mixture for an easy flavour boost. Served with a rich tomato sauce on top of spaghetti (and we haven’t forgotten the cheese!), this is an Italian-inspired bowl everyone will love!

Tags:
Kid Friendly
Allergens:
Gluten
Wheat
Egg
Milk
Sulphites

Always read product labels for the most up-to-date allergen information. Visit hellofresh.com.au/foodinfo for allergen and ingredient information. If you have received a substitute ingredient, please be aware allergens may have changed.

Preparation Time40 minutes
Cooking Time
DifficultyEasy

Ingredients

Serving amount

½

brown onion

2 clove

garlic

1

zucchini

1 packet

beef mince

1 packet

Fine Breadcrumbs

(Contains Gluten, Wheat; May be present: Soy. )

1 sachet

basil pesto

(Contains Milk;)

1 packet

spaghetti

(Contains Gluten, Wheat; May be present: Egg, Soy. )

½ sachet

Italian herbs

1 box

passata

1 cube

beef stock

1 bag

baby spinach leaves

1 packet

grated Parmesan cheese

(Contains Milk;)

1 packet

semi-dried tomatoes

(Contains Sulphites;)

Not included in your delivery

olive oil

¼ tsp

salt

1

egg

(Contains Egg;)

½ tbs

brown sugar

10 g

butter

(Contains Milk;)

sideBannerName

Nutritional Values

per serving
Energy (kJ)3881 kJ
Fat35.1 g
of which saturates12.7 g
Carbohydrate93.3 g
of which sugars17.4 g
Protein53.5 g
Sodium1269 mg
The average adult daily energy intake is 8700 kJ

Utensils

Large Pan
Large Non-Stick Pan

Instructions

Get prepped
1

Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Finely chop the brown onion (see ingredients). Finely chop the garlic. Grate the zucchini.

Make the meatballs
2

In a medium bowl, combine the beef mince, fine breadcrumbs, salt, egg and basil pesto. Using damp hands, take a heaped spoonful of the beef mixture and gently shape into a small meatball. Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining mixture. You should get about 4-5 meatballs per person. TIP: The pesto makes these meatballs extra tender but also delicate, so handle them carefully!

Cook the spaghetti & meatballs
3

Cook the spaghetti in the boiling water until 'al dente', 10 minutes. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water, drain the pasta, then return to the saucepan. Drizzle with olive oil to prevent the pasta from sticking together. Meanwhile, heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat. Cook the beef meatballs, in batches, until browned, 5-6 minutes. Transfer to a plate and set aside.

Start the sauce
4

Return the frying pan to a medium-high heat and add another drizzle of olive oil, if needed. Add the onion, garlic, Italian herbs (see ingredients) and zucchini and cook until softened, 5 minutes. Add the passata, brown sugar, butter and some reserved pasta water (1 1/2 tbs for 2 people / 3 tbs for 4 people). Crumble the beef stock (1 cube for 2 people / 2 cubes for 4 people) into the sauce and bring to the boil.

Finish the sauce
5

Add the meatballs to the sauce and cover with a lid or foil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the meatballs are cooked through, 6-7 minutes. Add the baby spinach leaves to the pan, increase the heat to high and cover with a lid or foil until just wilted, 1 minute. Season to taste. TIP: Add more reserved pasta water to your sauce if it's dry!

Serve up
6

Roughly chop the semi-dried tomatoes. Divide the spaghetti, basil pesto meatballs and sauce between plates. Sprinkle with the grated Parmesan cheese and top with semi-dried tomatoes to serve.