Cumin Spiced Meatball Feta Bake
with Speedy Sauce and Linguine
This pasta bake features a great chef hack that is simple and healthy! Create a 'raw' sauce by mixing tomato passata, garlic, fresh basil plus any veggies you choose and baking with a choice of toppings like the meatballs and feta featured in this dish. This trick is quick and simple and eliminates the necessity for sugar-laden store bought pasta sauce!
The quantities provided above are averages only.
Produced in a facility that processes eggs, milk, fish, peanuts, sesame, shellfish, soy, tree nuts, and wheat.
Ingredients
1
Echalion Shallot
1
Basil
1
Garlic Clove
500
British Beef Mince
20
Panko Breadcrumbs
(Contains: Cereals containing gluten)
3
Ground Cumin
3
Dried Thyme
3
Tomato Passata
2
Peas
2
Feta Cheese
(Contains: Milk)
400
Linguine
(Contains: Cereals containing gluten)
Utensils
Instructions
First get your prep done and preheat your oven to 220 degrees! Cut the shallot in half through the root, peel and chop into small ½cm pieces. Remove the basil leaves from their stalks. Finely chop the stalks and roughly tear leaves (keep them separate). Peel and grate the garlic (or use a garlic press if you have one).
Pop the beef mince in a bowl with your shallot, panko breadcrumbs, ground cumin, dried thyme and basil stalks. Add a really good pinch of salt and a grind of black pepper. Mix everything together with your hands until well combined. Shape into five meatballs per person.
Put a frying pan on medium-high heat with a drizzle of oil. Once the oil is hot, add your meatballs and cook for 5-6 mins until they are browned on the outside. Tip:We are baking them as well so they don't need to be cooked through completely at this point.
While your meatballs are cooking, pour the tomato passata into an ovenproof dish. Add the peas, garlic and half your basil leaves. Add a good pinch of salt and a grind of black pepper. Mix together.
Once your meatballs are browned, add them to your ovenproof dish with your sauce. Carefully stir together so that your meatballs are slightly submerged in your sauce. Crumble over the feta and pop on the top shelf of your oven to bake for 20 mins.
Meanwhile, put a large pot of water on to boil with a good pinch of salt. If you've got a spare 5 mins, get your washing up done! 11 mins before your meatballs are ready, add the linguine to the boiling water and cook for 11 mins until 'al dente', then drain. Tip:‘Al dente’ simply means the pasta is cooked through but has a tiny bit of firmness left in the middle - if it's not quite there yet, just cook for a little longer.
When your meatballs are cooked, and your feta has browned, remove the dish from your oven. Tip:The meatballs are cooked when no longer pink in the middle.Serve your linguine in bowls with your cumin spiced meatball feta bake on top. Finish with a sprinkling of the remaining basil leaves. Enjoy!
