Instructions

The tomato sauce.

Add 2 tablespoons of oil to a pan and place on medium-high heat. Add half the onion, half the garlic and half the oregano and sauté until the onions are soft and translucent. This should take 8-10 minutes.

Next add the tin tomatoes, 250ml of stock and salt and pepper. Turn the heat down to medium and allow the sauce to simmer and thicken for about 10-15 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the meatballs. To a large mixing bowl, add the rest of the onion and garlic and oregano. Add 500 beef mince, ricotta, breadcrumbs , parmesan, egg and parsley. Season with salt and pepper.

Mix everything together and shape into approximately roughly 12-14 balls  Place the balls onto a baking tray ready for frying.

Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil on high heat. When the oil is hot add small batches of meatballs to the pan. Leave the meatballs still until a crust starts to form before turning.

Once both sides are browned, remove from the pan and transfer to a separate plate. Continue this process until all of the meatballs are browned.

Gently lower the meatballs into the tomato sauce and pour over the remaining stock. The meatballs should almost be covered (add some water if you don’t have enough stock). Simmer on a medium to low heat, covered, for 30 minutes. To thicken the sauce, remove the lid towards the end of the cooking and increase the temperature slightly.

Once cooked, remove from the heat and set aside for 10 minutes before serving. Add extra oregano for serving.