Pesto meatballs with spicy tomato sauce recipe

Name: Pesto meatballs with spicy tomato sauce
Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients: 500g lean beef steak mince 5% fat; 1 onion, very finely chopped; 1 carrot, finely grated; ½ x 190g jar reduced-fat green pesto; 1 tbsp olive oil; 2 garlic cloves, crushed; 1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped; 1 pepper, finely sliced; 400g tin chopped tomatoes; 15g fresh basil, leaves picked; 320g tagliatelle

Make a dinner to remember with a heaping portion of pesto meatballs in a spicy tomato sauce served over al dente tagliatelle.

See method

Serves 4
5 mins to prepare and 25 mins to cook
401 calories / serving

Healthy

Shop your ingredients

Tesco Lean Beef Steak Mince 5% Fat 750g
500g lean beef steak mince 5% fat
£7.50
£10.00/kg
Tesco Brown Onions Loose
1 onion, very finely chopped
£0.11
£0.95/kg
Tesco Carrots Loose
Aldi Price Match
1 carrot, finely grated
£0.11
£0.69/kg
Tesco Reduced Fat Green Pesto 190G
½ x 190g jar reduced-fat green pesto
£0.89
£4.68/kg
Tesco Olive Oil 250Ml
1 tbsp olive oil
£3.10
£12.40/litre
Tesco Garlic 4 Pack
Aldi Price Match
2 garlic cloves, crushed
£0.87
£0.22/each
Tesco Red Chillies 60G
Aldi Price Match
1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
£0.51
£8.50/kg
Tesco Red Peppers Each
This product's currently out of stock
Aldi Price Match
1 pepper, finely sliced
Grower's Harvest Chopped Tomatoes 400G
Aldi Price Match
400g tin chopped tomatoes
£0.43
£1.08/kg
Tesco Fresh Cut Basil 30G
Aldi Price Match
15g fresh basil, leaves picked
£0.50
£16.67/kg
Tesco Tagliatelle Pasta 500G
Buy 1 Dolmio Pasta Sauce and Save 75p on Tesco Pasta Clubcard Price
Offer valid for delivery from 06/10/2026 until 23/11/2026
320g tagliatelle
£0.75
£1.50/kg

Method

Preheat the oven to gas 6, 200°C, fan 180°C. Put the beef mince, onion, carrot and pesto in a large mixing bowl; season and mix with your hands until well combined. Divide into 20 small meatballs and place on a large baking tray lined with nonstick baking paper. Bake for 10-15 mins until cooked through.
Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat and fry the garlic, chilli and pepper for 3 mins, then add the chopped tomatoes and 100ml water. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to medium and bubble for 15 mins until the sauce has thickened slightly. Stir through most of the basil.
Cook the tagliatelle to pack instructions. Drain well, then add to the frying pan with the sauce, along with the meatballs and any cooking juices from the tray. Toss gently to coat in the sauce. Divide between 4 shallow bowls, topping each with 5 meatballs. Scatter with the remaining basil to serve.

See more Meatball recipes

Freezing and defrosting guidelines
Freeze meatballs and sauce seperately. In order to enjoy optimum flavour and quality, frozen items are best used within 3 months of their freezing date. For more tips on freezing and defrosting food, read our article Love Your Freezer.