Easy Meatball Pasta Bake
I do have a passion for cooking but I admit sometimes I get tired and I need a break and that's when I want to cook something basic - quick, simple, with minimal effort and few dishes to wash. This meatball pasta bake is brilliant, I didn't expect it to be this good with so little effort, it was a nice surprise not just for me, but for everybody.
For the best result I recommend choosing high quality pasta made from hard wheat, as for the meatballs, you can use any meat you have or you like. I shaped them with the help of my 5-year-old Maria and she was very excited to take part in the process.
Place spaghetti in a deep casserole preferably the lenght and the size of the spaghetti - not too large and not too narrow.
Pour olive oil and shake a bit to the sides to spread it evenly over the spaghetti.
Add 1 tsp salt and, optionally, some dried Italian herbs and some cherry tomatoes (I grow them in my garden and keep in the freezer for when I need them).
Mix the minced meat with finely chopped onions and 1 tsp salt.
Form meatballs and place them over the spaghetti.
Pour tomato sauce on top.
And 500ml water.
Bake in the preheated oven to 200 degrees C for about 30 minutes.
After this time, remove from the oven and notice that all the meatballs are already cooked and pasta is starting to grow.
Now use a fork and carefully stir so that the sauce can reach everywhere. Stir gently, not too hard, just enough to help the ingredients blend together.
Bake for another 10-15 minutes.
This is what it looks like when it's ready, remove from the oven and let cool on the table for about 10 minutes - the necessary time to prepare a salad or whatever else you wish to combine it with.
Right before you serve them on the plate, mix everything together - the sauce, the meatballs and the spaghetti.
As I was telling you, we had them with a salad and cheese, they were delicious!
Enjoy!
