Ingredients:
100 g mozzarella cheese
500 g lean ground beef
salt & freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 eggs
2 tablespoons olive oil
30 g butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1 large red onions, finely chopped
500 g tomato passata
250 g pappardelle pasta or 250 g other curly pasta
100 g fresh parmesan cheese
Directions:
Cut the mozzarella into little chunks.
You’ll need one for each meatball.
Put the beef into a mixing bowl and season with salt, pepper, cumin and thyme.
Add the egg and mix it all together, preferrably with your hands.
Have a bowl of water ready to wet your hands after making each meatball.
Take some of the meat mixture in one hand, flatten it a bit with your palm and put a chunk of mozzarella on top.
Then roll the meat around the mozzarella until you have a walnut-sized ball.
Place finished meatballs on a plate and chill for an hour.
Heat the olive oil and half the butter in a frying pan.
Add the onion and garlic and saute until softened.
Add the meatballs and cook for five minutes, until a little crisp and golden, stirring gently from time to time.
Add the tomato passata and bring to a simmer.
Reduce the heat, cover and cook for 30 minutes, keeping the heat low and stirring occasionally.
Cook the pasta according to the packet directions.
Drain well and toss in a bowl with the remaining butter.
To finish, stir the pasta into the tomato and meatball mixture.
Serve, sprinkled with parmesan.
Servings: 4
Time preparation: 80 min.
Time total: 120 min.