Big Italian Meatballs

Step 1
Put the beef and pork mince into a large bowl. Grate the onion on the coarse side of a box grater, finely chop the garlic cloves and add both to the bowl with the mince.

Step 2
Pick the basil leaves from the stems, reserving the stems for the sauce and a few leaves for garnishing, then finely slice the rest of the leaves and add to the mince bowl. Add the parmasen to the bowl, along with the panko breadcrumbs, egg, salt and pepper. Mix with your hands until all ingredients are combined, but be careful not to over-mix as this will make the meatballs dense and tough.

Step 3
Using your hands, roll the meatball mixture into large balls, about 80g – 100g each. You should end up with 12 to 14 meatballs. Put them on a plate and place in the fridge for about 30 minutes to stop them from falling apart when frying.

Step 4
In a large frypan over medium heat, add the olive oil. Add half the meatballs to the pan searing for 4-5 minutes, turning regularly, until golden brown on all sides. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towel and repeat with the remaining meatballs.

For The Sauce
Step 5
Finely chop the garlic cloves then add to the frypan that the meatballs were in, along with the reserved basil stems and fry for about a minute or until fragrant. Reduce the heat to low, add the diced tomatoes, salt, and pepper, stir to combine and simmer for a few minutes.

Step 6
Add the browned meatballs on top of the sauce in a single layer, nestling them into the sauce. Cover the pan with a lid and let it gently simmer for 15 minutes, until the meatballs are cooked through and the sauce has thickened slightly.

Step 7
Remove from the heat, top with the extra basil leaves and serve straight from the pan.