Bruno Loubet's meatball pasta bake recipe

Method

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. Add the oregano, chopped tomatoes and tablespoon of pesto to the pan. Leave to simmer for 5 minutes.
4. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil, and cook the pasta following the packet instructions. Drain and set aside.
5. 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.
6. Add all the meatballs to the sauce. Turn it down to a low heat and leave to simmer for 10 minutes.
7. 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.
8. Now for the big mix; add the meatballs, sauce, drained pasta, broccoli and 3/4 of the Parmesan and Cheddar into a large bowl.
9. Pour the mixture into the pre-greased dish and get your little helpers to top it off with the remaining cheese.
10. 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.