Italian meatballs with pasta and tomato sauce

We all love a great yummy bowl of pasta to fill our tummy. Here is a recipe for pasta with meatball that you can't go wrong with. It takes 15 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook, so it's a quick and easy meal, all you have to do is add a green salid and some bread!

Pasta is high in complex carbohydrates, which provide a "time release" of energy rather than a quick boost, so it is great to eat if you are wanting to loose weight. Remeber, pasta is not the fatty bit, it's the sauce you add to it and what you eat with it, that causes you to put on weight.

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 1/4 cup (60ml) olive oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 cup (250ml) dry white wine, chicken or beef stock
• 400g can Italian chopped tomatoes
• 400g dried short pasta
• Flaked parmesan, to serve

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Meatballs

• 500g minced beef
• 25g sliced salami, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 50g parmesan, finely grated
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup (35g) dried breadcrumbs

Method

1. For meatballs, place all ingredients in a bowl and season to taste with salt and pepper. Mix well to combine. Form tablespoonfuls of mixture into balls.
2. Heat oil in a large frying pan or saucepan over high heat. Add meatballs and cook, turning occasionally, for 5 minutes or until well browned. Remove from pan and set aside.
3. Add onion to pan and cook, stirring, over medium heat for 5 minutes or until tender. Add wine or stock and simmer until reduced by 1/2. Return meatballs to pan with tomatoes and bring to the boil. Cover and cook for 15 minutes or until sauce is thickened.
4. Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large saucepan of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain and return to pan. Add meatballs and sauce and toss to combine, then serve scattered with flaked parmesan. Enjoy!

(Source: taste.com.au)