A twist on the classic meatballs in tomato sauce, these meatballs combine the zingy flavours of garlic and lemon for a fresh take. Parsley, mint, garlic and paprika help to create aromatic meatballs, while haricot beans, lemon and thyme make up a zingy sauce. It’s easy to make and adds something interesting to your weekly meal roundup.
Garlic meatballs in lemon sauce
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 500g minced beef
- 3 slices bread, finely torn
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed
- 30ml (2 tbsp) fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- 30ml (2 tbsp) fresh mint, chopped
- 5ml (1 tsp) ground paprika
- 5ml (1 tsp) salt
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 large eggs
Lemon sauce
- 700g tomato purée
- zest of 2 lemons
- 60ml (¼ cup) lemon juice
- salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 15ml (1 tbsp) fresh thyme, finely chopped
- 100g haricot beans
- 250ml (1 cup) water
- 100g bacon, chopped
- 20ml (4 tsp) thyme, plus extra to garnish
- salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 150°C.
For the meatballs, combine all the ingredients and form golf ball-sized balls. Place them in a baking dish.
For the sauce, combine all the ingredients and spoon the sauce over the meatballs. Cover and bake for 3 hours. If the meatballs get a little dry, stir about 125ml (½ cup) water through the sauce.
Cook the beans over a low heat in the water for about 2 hours. Add the bacon and thyme. Season and cook for 30 minutes.
Spoon the meatballs on top of the beans, garnish with thyme and serve.
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