Spaghetti and cheatballs

I fear I'll lose the respect of many a reader today (all three of you - Mum, Jo and Miss Brown!), but I'm willing to take that risk in order to share with you a really simple recipe that defines the term 'comfort food'

I'd had a long day at work last weekend and wanted something hearty for dinner that wouldn't take me ages to cook. I stood at the meat section in the supermarket for ages, trying to remember what supplies I had at my housesitting house and what I'd need to buy.

It all seemed too hard, so I turned to the Lattina Fresh options and weighed up an instant pasta dish.

That's when I remembered Bree's cheat's spaghetti and meatballs.

Hello happiness!

Sooooo good, and sooooo simple. I was on the phone to Lill scoffing down my dinner, that I didn't have time to stop for a photo of the perfectly plated pasta (ha! who am I kidding?!) but you can see how beautifully the sauce coated the pasta. A fool proof recipe.

Get into it.

Bree's spaghetti and meatballs

Serves 3-4

1 tray of chevapchichis

half a bottle of passata

1 tin crushed tomatoes

garlic

onion, diced

sprinkle of chilli flakes

fresh basil leaves, torn

splash of red wine

2 tspns tomato paste

dried Italian herbs
pasta

1. Cut each chevapchichi into four and roll each section into a ball
2. Lightly brown the meatballs in a frypan and soak on paper towel. Set to the side while you make the sauce
3. Fry up some garlic and onion, add a few sprinkles of chilli flakes
4. Add a can of diced tomatoes, the passata and tomato paste. Add a splash of red wine and season. Let simmer and then add the herbs and put the meatballs in the sauce, leaving to bubble away gently until cooked through
5. In the meantime, cook the pasta in another saucepan until al dente (my new fave is bucatini - hollow spaghetti)
6. Serve up the pasta and load up with rich tomato sauce and meatballs and top with grated parmesan cheese