Spaghetti With Beef Lentil Meatballs

Step 1

Preheat an oven to 200ºC.Peel and quarter the onions and peel the garlic, then lay both in a deep roasting tray.Halve the tomatoes and add to the tray along with chunks of de-seeded pepper.Toss in the olive oil and season with salt and pepper.Roast in the oven for 30 minutes.

Step 2

Grate the courgette using a coarse grating disc in the food processor.Peel the garlic and onion and add to the food processor with the blade along with the lentils.Blitz to a paste.Combine the grated courgette, the lentil paste, the oregano and the beef in a bowl and mix by hand.Shape into meatballs about the size of a golf-ball and lay them out on a baking tray making sure they aren’t touching, then bake in the same oven below the veg for 10-12 minutes until just cooked through.

Step 3

Heat a large pan of salted water to a boil.Cook the spaghetti in the water for 9-10 minutes (or accordingly to packet instructions). Tip the contents of the deep roasting tray into a KMix blender and blitz smooth with the tomato purée, basil and vinegar. Drain the pasta and toss all 3 things together… the cooked pasta, the blitzed sauce and the baked balls.

Step 4

Serve immediately for everyone to dig into, with Parmesan for people to add if they wish. Serves 4