Meatballs Pasta (Jamie Oliver)

I have this recipe in my to do list for sometimes, and Cook Like A Star for this month features Jamie Oliver as the star of the month, so I cooked this, finally
And yes, it's loved by my family, especially my 'pasta lovers' kids :)

Thanks Zoe, for featuring Jamie for this month, I'm his die hard fan!
I mean, look at how he fights his way to get the schools have better and healthier meals for the children. Also look at how he bravely suggested healthier lifestyle by being an eye opener to us of what goes in our mouth when we eat fast food wew....
I 100% salute him on how he tries hard with his heart and soul to change the lifestyle of people in this world

And recipe wise, I like the creativity coming out from him to every dish he makes, and I totally admire his multi tasking speedy actions! He does manage to make not so simple things look real easy :)

My kids don't eat beef - no particular reason, they just don't like the taste
I guess, it''s me who caused it, I almost never fed them beef when they're babies and toddlers
DH and I don't eat so often, too, only some dishes that can't be replaced with other meats then we eat, otherwise, we'll replace with pork or chicken

The original recipe for this used ground beef or pork or mixture of two
I actually wanted to use mixture of ground pork and chicken, but DH suggested to just stick to minced chicken, so chicken it is

Here is the recipe with slight modification to suit my family taste

What you need:

pasta of your choice, prepare as directed in a pot of hot water with salt

For meatballs:
1 tsp of dried rosemary
10 meiji plain crackers, wrap in a kitchen towels and smash til fine
1 heaped tsp Dijon mustard
450g minced chicken (can be a mixture of minced chicken and pork, I think it can make fluffier texture)
1/2 heaped tsp dried oregano
2 large eggs
a pinch of pepper
1/2 tsp of salt
2 tbsp olive oil, to drizzle

For pasta sauce:
1 tsp dried basil
1 medium onion, slice thinly
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 tbsp olive oil
1 large bottle of Prego traditional tomato based pasta sauce
2 tsp of sugar
1 slice cheddar cheese
some water

To make meatballs:
Mix all ingredients except olive oil, scrunch with clean hands til well mixed
Divide into 4 balls. With wet hands, divide each balls to 2. Divide again each ball to 2. And again, divide each ball to 2
Altogether it makes 32 balls which each size is just nice for my family liking (Jamie makes it to 12 balls which is too big for us)
Drizzle the meatballs with olive oil and jiggle them about so they all get coated. Put them in a container, keep in the fridge until needed
Before making pasta sauce, cook the meatballs by heating up another frying pan with a lug of olive oil, add in meatballs and cook til golden about 8 minutes, drain

To cook pasta sauce:
Heat olive oil on a pan and stir fry onion and when it's starting to turn soft, add in garlic, stir fry til fragrant and soft
Add in pasta sauce, basil, some water, sugar, and mix well (you may add water if it's still too thick - up to preference)
Add in cheese, mix til cheese melted, stir well
Add in the meatballs to the sauce, bring to boil and off heat

To serve:
Pour the meatballs pasta sauce over cooked pasta of your choice, serve warm with grated parmesan cheese and a dash of tabasco sauce (not for kids, of course)
For this time, it's Ian chose his favorite pasta - fusili :)


I still have some leftover meatballs, now I feel like having meatball pizza...yum! :P