As January comes to a close it’s about time we started to think about healthy eating. I’m certainly not one to start dieting after Christmas but I do enjoy a nice home cooked meal.
I’ve decided to give the spiralizing craze a go and see what family friendly meals we can try. Taylor isn’t overly keen on some veggies, but maybe if they’re sprialized he won’t mind?
As a mummy I’m making it my mission to learn to cook more home made meals. I can’t deny that I am a terrible cook. Take it out of the freezer and pop in the oven, that’s the kind of cooking I am used to.
Today I tried the below recipe by Justine Pattison, I don’t think I did too bad either!
Meatballs
- 250g/9oz extra lean beef mince (5% fat or less)
- 1 small onion, very finely chopped
- 1 tsp dried mixed herbs
- calorie controlled cooking oil spray
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 227g/8oz can chopped tomatoes
- 2 heaped tbsp finely shredded fresh basil leaves, plus extra to garnish
Courgette ‘tagliatelle’
- 2 medium courgettes
- sea salt and ground black pepper
1. Place the beef, half the onion, half the mixed herbs and a pinch of salt and pepper in a bowl and mix well. Form into 10 small balls.
2. Cook the meatballs for 5-7 minutes, turning them until browned on all sides.Put the remaining onion
3. In the same pan and cook over a low heat for three minutes. Add the garlic and cook for a few seconds.
4. Stir in the tomatoes, 300ml/10fl oz water, the remaining mixed herbs and shredded basil. Bring to the boil, stirring. Return the meatballs to the pan, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally until the sauce is thick and the meatballs are cooked throughout.
5. Half-fill a medium pan with water and bring to the boil.
Use the ribbon blade on your spiralizer to slice the courgettes. We have the Kenwood electric spiralizer. Cook the courgette in the boiling water for three minutes then drain.
6. Divide the courgette ribbons between two plates and top with the meatballs and sauce. Garnish with basil leaves.
The outcome was delicious, it wasn’t difficult to cook, not even for me. That’s saying something. The whole family enjoyed it and their was minimal mess.
