Meatballs and pasta with a spicy tomato sauce .. Serves 4

Great for Slimming World or anyone wanting a healthy meal.

Ingredients

400g dried penne pasta or spaghetti or any other dried pasta shapes.

Meatballs

250g lean beef mince ( 5% fat or less)

250g lean pork mince ( 5% fat or less)

1/2 onion, finely chopped

1 small garlic clove, grated or crushed

1/2 tsp dried sage

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

salt and freshly ground black pepper

low calorie cooking spray ( I used Frylight)

For the sauce

1 large onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed

400g chopped tomatoes

2 tbsp tomato puree

1 tsp white wine vinegar

1 heaped tsp dried oregano

1 vegetable stock cube ( I used Knorr stock pot)

1 tsp dried parsley

2 tbsp finely chopped fresh basil

1/2 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped. (leave out if you prefer less heat)

120g halved baby plum tomatoes

100g baby leaf spinach ( I cheated and used frozen)

First make the meatball. Mix together the mince, onion, garlic, sage,paprika, and seasoning with your hands( a bit yucky, but the best way). Form the mixture into  equal sized meatballs approx 24 depending on size. I used this and it made the job easier

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Italian-Collection-ICMEATBALL-Meat-Baller/dp/B004PYV7YU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1451864650&sr=8-1&keywords=Meat+baller

Spray a large non-stick frying pan with low calorie cooking spray and place over a high heat. Working in batches, fry the meatballs until browned and set aside. (Don't worry if they aren't cooked through at this stage)

To make the sauce, spray the frying pan with a little more low calorie cooking spray, turn the heat to medium and fry the onion for 10 minutes, adding a little water if it starts to stick. Stir in the remaining sauce ingredients (except the plum tomatoes and spinach), add 350ml of boiling water and bring to a simmer.

Meanwhile cook the pasta as per pack instructions.

Add the meatballs to the sauce and cook for 5 minutes, then add the plum tomatoes and cooked for a further 5 minutes or until the meatball are cooked through and piping hot. Add the spinach( i defrosted the frozen spinach in the microwave first) and cook for 2 minutes.

Drain the pasta and mix through the meatballs and sauce, checking the seasoning before serving. Enjoy!

A note.. I have fussy eaters in the house so I blended the sauce ingredients all together prior to cooking to disguise them.