Sausage Meatball Pasta

 

We have a quick, tasty and hearty dish for you this week!

With an insiders tip to achieve flavour and to ensure you get the tastiest and most tender meatballs - squeeze out the meat from your favourite sausage into little meatballs – trust us, this is going to change your life!

Right, now pour yourself a glass of wine, turn on some Frank Sinatra and get started!

Sausage Meatballs with Cavolo Nero & Fennel Seeds

Serves 4

Prep time: 25 minutes

Cooking time: 20 minutes

 
 

INGREDIENTS

Dried pasta of your choice – we suggest fusilli, penne or rigatoni.

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

4 good-quality Italian pork sausages

1 tsp fennel seeds

½ tsp chilli flakes

1 tbsp rosemary leaves, finely chopped

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

125ml dry white wine

250ml chicken stock

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 bunch of cavolo nero, leaves stripped and roughly chopped (or spinach)

1 tbsp salted butter

Handful of grated Parmigiano Reggiano, plus extra to serve

METHOD

  1. Heat a deep, heavy-based frying pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, pour in the olive oil. Cut the ends of the sausages and squeeze out small pieces of meat into the pan. Cook for 5–10 minutes, until the sausage meatballs are golden. Using a slotted spoon, scoop out the meatballs and set aside.

  2. Add the fennel seeds, chilli flakes, rosemary and garlic to the pan and give everything a good stir to ensure the mixture doesn’t burn. Inhale its heady scent, an aroma that will linger throughout the meal.

  3. Cook for 1 minute, then pour in the white wine to deglaze the pan, watching the bubbles engulf the garlic. Using a wooden spoon, scrape all that sticky goodness off the base of the pan. Once the wine has almost evaporated, return the meatballs to the pan along with the chicken stock, and cook for 5 minutes for the flavours to meld. Season with salt and pepper.

  4. Bring a large saucepan of water to a lively boil and season as salty as the sea. Add the pasta and cook until al dente.

  5. Now, back to your sauce. Add the cavolo nero and place the lid on the pan. Give the cavolo nero a minute or two to wilt.

  6. Drain the pasta, reserving 125ml of the cooking
water. Add the pasta to the sauce, along with the butter and Parmigiano Reggiano. Give the whole thing a firm stir in the pan, adding the reserved cooking water to loosen everything up. Watch it thicken to form a glossy, luxurious sauce that coats the pasta and meatballs.

  7. Serve immediately with extra Parmigiano Reggiano showered over the top.

 
THOMAS NEWFIELD