Meatball and Mozzarella Pan Bake

Name: Meatball and Mozzarella Pan Bake
Prep time: 1 h 45 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 2 h 15 min
Cuisine: European, Italian, Mediterranean
Ingredients: 2 small onions, grated; • 250g lean beef mince; • 250g lean pork mince; • 125g fresh breadcrumbs; • 1 tbsp fennel seeds, crushed; • 1 tsp dried oregano; • 1 egg; • Olive oil for frying; • 2 cloves garlic, crushed; • 3 bay leaves; • 400g tin chopped tomatoes; • 600ml passata; • 2 tbsp tomato purée; • 1 tbsp brown sugar; • 1 tbsp red wine vinegar; • 250g mozzarella (a large block), grated; • 100g mascarpone

10 steps

Prep:1h 45minCook:30min

You can’t plate this up politely (the cheesy topping goes deliciously gooey and stringy) so just put it in the middle of the table with a salad and loads of crusty bread and butter and let everyone wrestle out their own portion. Originally published by: deliciousmagazine.co.uk

Updated at: Sat, 06 Jul 2024 18:57:37 GMT

Nutrition balance score

Unbalanced

Glycemic Index

Low

Glycemic Load

High

Nutrition per serving

Calories779.5 kcal (39%)

Total Fat43.2 g (62%)

Carbs46.4 g (18%)

Sugars11.5 g (13%)

Protein49 g (98%)

Sodium917.8 mg (46%)

Fiber5.4 g (19%)

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Ingredients

4 servings

2onions

small, grated

250glean beef mince

250glean pork mince

125gfresh breadcrumbs

1 Tbspfennel seeds

crushed

1 tspdried oregano

2 clovesgarlic

400gchopped tomatoes

tin

600mlpassata

2 Tbsptomato purée

1 Tbspbrown sugar

1 Tbspred wine vinegar

250gmozzarella

a, grated

100gmascarpone

Instructions

Step 1

Prepare the Meatballs:

Step 2

• Put half the onion, all of the beef and pork mince, breadcrumbs, fennel seeds, oregano, and egg in a bowl with plenty of seasoning. Mix everything with your hands really well, then shape into 20 meatballs.

Step 3

• Heat 1 tbsp oil in an ovenproof frying pan and brown the meatballs in batches, adding more oil as needed. The meatballs should be almost cooked through. Once browned, scoop out of the pan and onto a plate.

Step 4

2. Make the Sauce:

Step 5

• Add the rest of the onion to the pan with another tbsp of olive oil. Fry gently until soft, then add the garlic and fry for a couple of minutes more.

Step 6

• Add the bay leaves, tomatoes, passata, tomato purée, brown sugar, and red wine vinegar to the frying pan, and bring to a simmer. Bubble for 20 minutes until the sauce has reduced and thickened, and the surface is glistening. Add back the meatballs.

Step 7

3. Assemble the Bake:

Step 8

• Mix 200g of the grated mozzarella with the mascarpone and a little salt.

Step 9

• Spoon the cheesy mascarpone over the meatballs in dollops, and scatter over the remaining grated mozzarella.

Step 10

• Heat the oven to 190°C/fan 170°C/gas 5. Bake for 30 minutes until the meatballs are piping hot and cooked through, and the top is golden and bubbling. Let the dish cool for 5 minutes, then drizzle with olive oil before spooning straight from the dish. Serve with crusty bread, pasta, or rice.