Bruno Loubet's meatball pasta bake recipe
Create both a hearty recipe and family favourite with this meatball pasta bake recipe by Bruno Loubet. Serve with a side of salad or mixed vegetables for a balanced meal.
See method- Serves 4
- 20mins to prepare and 55mins to cook
- 553 calories / serving
Ingredients
For the sauce
- 400g (13oz) chopped tomato
- 1½–2 small onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 1tsp of chopped oregano
- 1tbsp red pesto
- 250g broccoli, chopped into even florets
- 80g (3oz) grated cheddar
- 20g (¾oz) grated Parmesan
- 1tsp of butter, to be used for greasing
- 4 tbsp olive oil
For the meatballs
- 400g (13oz) pork mince
- 4 white bread slices
- 1tbsp parsley, chopped
- ½tsp chopped garlic
- 1tbsp barbecue sauce
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch pepper
For the pasta
- 250g (8oz) penne pasta
Each serving contains
- Energy
- 2305kJ 553.0kcal
- Fat
- 35g
- Saturates
- 12g
- Salt
- 1.4g
- Sugars
- 8g
of the Reference intake
Carbohydrate 24.6gProtein 33.3gFibre 5.2g
Method
- Preheat your oven to Gas Mark 4, 180°C, fan 160°C. Use the teaspoon of butter to grease a large gratin dish and set this aside until needed.
- Set a large frying pan over a medium heat and add the oil. Once hot, bring the garlic and onions to cook till coloured lightly.
- Add the oregano, chopped tomatoes and tablespoon of pesto to the pan. Leave to simmer for 5 minutes.
- Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil, and cook the pasta following the packet instructions. Drain and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix all the ingredients for themeatballstogether with a large spoon. Get the kids to muck in at this point to help shape the mixture into small balls that should roughly be the size of cherries.
- Add all the meatballs to the sauce. Turn it down to a low heat and leave to simmer for 10 minutes.
- Bring thebroccolito the boil in salted water for 2-4 minutes until slightly tender. Remove from the heat and drain the boiled water away and replace with ice water - this will stop the cooking process. Drain and set aside.
- Now for the big mix; add the meatballs, sauce, drained pasta, broccoli and 3/4 of the Parmesan and Cheddar into a large bowl.
- Pour the mixture into the pre-greased dish and get your little helpers to top it off with the remaining cheese.
- Place in the oven for 15 minutes, or until the bake has a golden brown crust. Serve immediately.
- See more Recipes for kids
- For top tips on protecting you and your family when preparing raw meat and poultry, visit Food Safety in the Home.
