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Pork and fennel meatballs with spaghetti

Meatballs – one of my favourite foods! Pork and fennel goes together so well in these ones with a rich tomato sauce and plenty of spaghetti.
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Course Main
Servings 4
Kid Friendly

Ingredients
  

  • ¼ cup milk
  • cup panko breadcrumbs
  • 1 egg
  • 500 g pork mince
  • 1 onion finely diced
  • 1 clove garlic finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
  • 1 tablespoon fresh thyme chopped
  • ¼ cup Parmesan finely grated
  • sea salt
  • 2-3 tablespoons rice bran oil
  • 500 g jar tomato pasta sauce

To serve

  • cooked fresh spaghetti
  • thyme sprigs to garnish

Instructions
 

  • Combine the milk and breadcrumbs and leave to swell.
  • Beat the egg until liquid.
  • Combine the pork mince, onion, garlic and soaked crumbs. Mix well.
  • Add the fennel seeds, freshly chopped thyme and parmesan. Season well with sea salt and cracked pepper.
  • Roll mixture into evenly sized balls (about 20).
  • Heat the oil in a large frying pan on medium-low heat and brown the meatballs on all sides.
  • Add the tomato pasta sauce and simmer for 5-8 minutes until meatballs are cooked through.
  • Serve on hot spaghetti and garnish with sprigs of fresh thyme.

Notes

This is a great meals to cook for kids. You can even freeze the sauce and meatballs (cooked) in portions to make dinner suuuuper easy. Pork and fennel is a classic combination, but you could leave it out or replace it with dried mixed herbs if your kids are fussy.
For more meatball ideas, try my Tasty Spanish Meatballs, or Italian-Style Meatballs with Spaghetti and Salad.
This recipe is from the June/July issue of NADIA magazine.