It is surprisingly easy (& fun) to make your own meatballs at home. In addition the pork meatballs in tomato sauce recipe is a great way to use surplus tomatoes,

This recipe has 2 advantages:

• The meatballs & sauce go great with pasta, rice, etc.
• In addition extra meatballs can be frozen for future use.

However….. I can’t emphasise enough the importance of using the right type of tomato – it has a major impact on the flavour of the sauce. More details lower down the page.

How to make pork meatballs in tomato sauce

Ingredients:

• 500 g Pork mincemeat
• 3 tbsp flour,
• 50 g White breadcrumbs,
• 4 Garlic cloves,
• 1 Egg yolk – beaten,
• 1 kg Tomatoes
• 1 Onion – chopped,
• 2 tbsp Chopped oregano (Or 1 tsp dried),
• 1 tbsp Chopped Thyme (or 1/2 tsp dried),
• 8 Fresh basil leaves
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Salt & pepper to taste,

Equipment

• Saucepan & lid
• Frying pan
• Food blender or food mill
• Chef’s knife

Instructions

• Step 1 – make the pork meatballs
  • Mix together in a bowl, the pork, garlic, 1 tbsp flour, breadcrumbs and seasoning.
  • Stir in the egg yolk and mix well
  • Make them into 30 balls and roll in the remaining flour
  • At this stage you can remove the ones you don’t need and freeze them – store in a freezer bag for later use.
  • Heat oil in a frying pan and fry for 15 to 20 minutes, turning frequently. Then dry them by rolling on absorbent kitchen paper,
• Step 2 – Make the tomato sauce
  • Chop the onion and garlic in small pieces. If using fresh thyme or oregano roughly chop the leaves.
  • Cut the tomatoes in half and remove the pips.
  • Fry the onion and garlic in a pan and then add the herbs and tomatoes.
  • Simmer on low heat with a lid on the pan for 30 minutes – stirring regularly.
  • Remove from heat and either use a food blender or food mill to make a smooth sauce.
  • Add the basil leaves and some salt & pepper to taste.
• Step 3 – Serve
  • Put some cooked pasta on a plate, add some pork meatballs and tomato sauce.

What to serve with pork meatballs and tomato sauce

It goes great with both pasta and rice. Or on it’s own, maybe with bread or garlic bread.

2 Key items – that make a difference

Item 1 – The type of tomato used

The type of tomato you use will make a real difference – all depending on the size of the skin, water content, etc.

The best ones to use are either Roma or San Marzano tomatoes.

They are not difficult to grow at home and fresh tomatoes are ideal for making tomato sauce.

If you buy tomatoes in a supermarket try to get either one of the above or ideal get tomatoes with a thick skin.

For more details have a look at

Tomato types for recipes

Item 2 – Food Processor or Food Mill

There are 2 ways to blend the sauce.

A food processor is quite a standard way – simply add the ingredients into the blender and blend until smooth,

On the other hand a rotary food mill – like the one on the right – will produce a much smoother mix.

It’s great for making items even like mashed potato. However when using it to make the tomato sauce do use the largest hole option, as that will give you the best results

More info on the rotatory food mill

Print Pin

5 from 2 votes

Pork meatballs in tomato sauce

Fun to make and great with pasta or rice

Course Main Course

Cuisine British, Italian

Keyword pork meatballs in tomato sauce, tomato sauce

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 35 minutes minutes

Servings 4 people

Calories 260kcal

Author Minze Vries

Cost £1.34

Equipment

• 1 Saucepan and lid
• 1 frying pan
• 1 Food mill or Food Processor
• 1 Chef Knife

Ingredients

• 500 g Pork mincemeat
• 3 tbsp Flour
• 50 g White breadcrumbs
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 Egg yolk
• 1 kg Fresh tomatoes
• 1 Onion
• 2 tbsp Chopped oregano (or 1 tsp dried)
• 1 tbsp Chopped thyme (or 1/2 tsp dried)
• 8 Fresh basil leaves
• 1 tsp Olive oil
• Salt and Pepper

Instructions

Step 1 – make the pork meatballs

• Mix together in a bowl, the pork, garlic, 1 tbsp flour, breadcrumbs and seasoning. Stir in the egg yolk and mix well
• Make them into 30 balls and roll in the remaining flour
• Heat oil in a frying pan and fry for 15 to 20 minutes, turning frequently. Then dry them by rolling on absorbent kitchen paper,

Step 2 – Make the tomato sauce

• Chop the onion and garlic in small pieces. If using fresh thyme or oregano roughly chop the leaves
• Cut the tomatoes in half and remove the pips.
• Fry the onion and garlic in a pan and then add the herbs and tomatoes.
• Simmer on low heat with a lid on the pan for 30 minutes – stirring regularly.
• Remove from heat and either use a food blender or food mill to make a smooth sauce.
• Add the basil leaves and some salt & pepper to taste.

Step 3 – Serve

• Put some cooked pasta on a plate, add some pork meatballs and tomato sauce.

Video

Notes

Calories & cost

Please note I’ve tried to work out the average calories and cost per person, which is a very rough estimate. (mainly because all the tomatoes and herbs are home grown)

Nutrition

Serving: 120g | Calories: 260kcal

Made this recipe ?

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