Creamy Tomato Meatball Sauce
This easy yet luxurious creamy tomato meatball sauce is made with passata, marscapone & Grana Padano cheese. It goes with any meatballs; beef, pork, chicken or turkey - homemade or shop-bought.
Ingredients
- 500 g passata
- 1 ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon mixed herbs
- 100 g grated Grana Padano
- 85 g marscapone
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- Salt & black pepper to taste
- Meatballs beef, pork, chicken or turkey (homemade or store-bought)
See baby & toddler section for tweaks
Instructions
On the Stove
- Add the passata to a shallow lidded pan over a medium heat and bring to a simmer. Add in the oregano, mixed herbs, Grana Padano and mascarpone. Stir until the Grana Padano has melted in. Leave for a couple minutes for the mascarpone to soften and then stir until melted in.
- Add the meatballs, increase heat to high and bring to the boil with the lid ajar (to stop sauce splashing out the pan). Cook for 10 minutes (lid ajar). Then stir gently and cook for a further 5 to 10 minutes, until the meatballs are cooked through.
In the Slow Cooker
- Follow step 1 as above, in your slow cooker removable pot if you have one, otherwise a saucepan.
- Put the slow cooker pot back in it’s base (or pour the sauce into your slow cooker pot) and add the meatballs in an even layer. Cook on low for 8 to 12 hours.
Baby & Toddler
Hold off adding salt to their sauce and adults add to their plates.
6 - 8 months Give little one a couple meatballs whole to eat, supervised. They can hold and take bites. 9 months + Cut meatballs into eighths or smash them down well with the back of a fork until in small pieces.
STORAGE
Storing this sauce before adding meatballs in the fridge for up to 4 days (cook day + 4) in an airtight jar or container. Reheat gently over a low heat, stirring regularly until it comes to a simmer (keep lid on ajar). Then follow the recipe re adding meatballs. Add a splash of water or milk to loosen it if needed.
Keep meatballs in sauce leftovers in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 3 days (cook day + 2). Reheat in a saucepan (over medium-low heat) or microwave, stirring often until the meatballs are steaming hot all the way through. Add a little milk or water to loosen sauce if needed.
Freeze for up to 3 months with or without meatballs. Defrost for 24 hours in the fridge. Reheat on the stove in a saucepan over a medium-low heat or in the microwave, stirring often, until steaming hot all the way through.
Nutrition
Calories: 988kcalCarbohydrates: 56gProtein: 50gFat: 65gSaturated Fat: 40gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 153mgSodium: 1790mgPotassium: 2326mgFiber: 11gSugar: 29gVitamin A: 4577IUVitamin C: 53mgCalcium: 1442mgIron: 11mg
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