I've slightly adapted (see Tips) this summer meatballs and spaghetti recipe that appeared in last month's BBC Easycook magazine and originally featured in the June 2018 BBC Good Food magazine. It's a very quick and full of flavour dish to put together and enjoy in a summer evening.
The flavour of fennel in the meatballs is delicious along with the courgette ribbons through the spaghetti. Enjoy with some crusty bread and a glass of white wine - yum!
Tips
- Following reading a comment about the meatballs turning out wet before I decided to make this recipe, I made the decision not to grate or finely chop the centre of the courgette after peeling it into ribbons. The centre can turn out quite soggy when cooked.
- This summer meatballs and spaghetti recipe is easily adapted if you're cooking for less or more people.
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How to make these Summer Meatballs and Spaghetti
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 250g pork mince
- 2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley - leaves chopped and stalks finely chopped
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 courgette, peeled into ribbons all around the outside, discard the centre (see Tips)
- 200g spaghetti
- 5 a lemon, zested and juiced
- grated parmesan, to serve
Instructions
- Heat a 0.5 tbsp of the olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the onion and soften for 5 minutes, then add the garlic and fennel seeds and cook for 2 minutes longer. Tip the onion mixture into a bowl. Add the pork mince and parsley stalks, season well, mix, and shape into 10 meatballs. Heat the remaining olive oil in the frying pan, add the meatballs and fry for 5 to 8 minutes, turning occasionally, until golden brown and cooked through. Set the pan aside.
- Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil and cook the spaghetti for 1 minute less than the packet instructions. Using tongs, transfer the pasta to the pan of meatballs, sloshing in some of the cooking water as you go. Add the courgette ribbons to the pan and put it back over the heat. Toss the pasta and meatballs with the courgette ribbons in the pan with a ladleful of pasta water and add the lemon juice. Season well, tip into bowls and scatter over the chopped parsley leaves, lemon zest and a generous grating of parmesan.
- Enjoy with some crusty bread!
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Summer Meatballs and Spaghetti
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves crushed
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 250 g (8.8 oz) pork mince
- 2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley leaves chopped and stalks finely chopped
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 courgette peeled into ribbons all around the outside, discard the centre (see Notes)
- 200 g (7.1 oz) spaghetti
- 0.5 a lemon zested and juiced
- grated parmesan to serve
Instructions
- Heat a 0.5 tbsp of the olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the onion and soften for 5 minutes, then add the garlic and fennel seeds and cook for 2 minutes longer. Tip the onion mixture into a bowl. Add the pork mince and parsley stalks, season well, mix, and shape into 10 meatballs. Heat the remaining olive oil in the frying pan, add the meatballs and fry for 5 to 8 minutes, turning occasionally, until golden brown and cooked through. Set the pan aside.
- Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil and cook the spaghetti for 1 minute less than the packet instructions. Using tongs, transfer the pasta to the pan of meatballs, sloshing in some of the cooking water as you go. Add the courgette ribbons to the pan and put it back over the heat. Toss the pasta and meatballs with the courgette ribbons in the pan with a ladleful of pasta water and add the lemon juice. Season well, tip into bowls and scatter over the chopped parsley leaves, lemon zest and a generous grating of parmesan.
- Enjoy with some crusty bread!
Notes
- Following reading a comment about the meatballs turning out wet before I decided to make this recipe, I made the decision not to grate or finely chop the centre of the courgette after peeling it into ribbons. The centre can turn out quite soggy when cooked.
- This summer meatballs and spaghetti recipe is easily adapted if you're cooking for less or more people.
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Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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