So, here’s a thing. Occasionally I make something that is easy, tasty and that uses pre-bought/made ingredients. I know. SHOCK HORROR! But the truth is, there is no shame and when you are working, have children or equally the thought of slaving over a hot stove doesn’t do it for you – go for something that is easy and loved by all. And my meatball bake is just that.
Ingredients
2 packets of raw meatballs (I usually buy these from either Aldi or Woolworths). 2 packets will give you approx. 25-30 meatballs.
2 cups dried macaroni
250g tub sour cream
1 bottle of Passata (approx. 600mls) or your favourite tomato/spaghetti sauce
Dried Herbs
Garlic Powder
Oil
Salt & Pepper
Grated Cheese
Preparation
Note that this makes a lot. If you want to cut the size down, half the recipe and make the baking dish smaller.
Pour a small amount of oil into a non-stick frypan and brown the meatballs. Depending on how many you have – you may need to cook the balls in batches. You don’t need to cook them all the way through, you just want the outsides browned. Once cooked, keep to one side.
Pre-heat the oven to 180C.
Pour the macaroni into a large baking dish. I use a ceramic dish that is 35cm x 35cm. This feeds a lot of us and/or over a few days.
In a bowl, mix the sour cream and passata/spaghetti sauce. Add some salt and pepper, a few shakes of garlic powder and dried herbs of your choice. Add a little water (approx. 1/2 cup) to the passata bottle and give it a good “swish”. Pour the water into the cream/passata bowl and stir through – this is so you are adding a bit more moisture and to also make sure you get all the passata from the bottle.
Pour the creamy, tomato sauce over the macaroni and stir to coat all the pasta.
Nestle your meatballs into the pasta – depending on the size of your dish, there shouldn’t be any overlapping.
Cover generously with grated cheese making sure that all the pasta is covered. And oh dear, this means you will have to add a lot of cheese!
Cover the dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Carefully remove the foil and cook for a further 15 minutes or until the cheese is browned and bubbly.
Serve with some beans, snow peas or a salad. Creamy, cheesy, meaty and pasta. Does it get any better?
