Baked Meatballs with Tomato Sauce

Ingredients

• 800 g mixed ground beef
• 1 Garlic clove
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 egg yolk
• Salt
• Pepper
• Olive oil (for the baking dish)
• 1 onion
• a handful basil
• a pinch sugar
• a splash lemon juice
• 1 tbsp Tomato Paste
• 400 g passata (canned)
• 75 g grated Parmesan
• 2 balls mozzarella (125 g each)
• basil for garnish

Instructions

1. 1.

   Place the ground beef in a bowl. Peel and press the garlic into it. Mix the thyme with the egg yolk and season heavily with salt and pepper. Shape the mixture into small balls and place them in an oiled baking dish.

2. 2.

   Preheat the oven to 180°C fan.

3. 3.

   Peel and finely dice the onion. Rinse the basil, shake dry, and pluck the leaves. Mix the onion, sugar, lemon juice, and tomato paste with the passata. Season with salt and pepper and spread over the meatballs along with the Parmesan. Slice the mozzarella into rounds, place on top, and bake in the oven for about 40 minutes until golden brown.

4. 4.

   Serve garnished with basil.