Spaghetti & meatballs with hidden veg sauce

Makes 40 meatballs (which will feed a family of 4 twice) Prep 1 hr Cook 40 mins FOR THE MEATBALLS

300g good quality pork sausages

(about 4 large or 8 chipolatas) 1 small onion, grated 1 carrot, grated 1 tbsp dried oregano 500g lean beef mince 50g parmesan, finely grated, plus

extra to serve 75g dried breadcrumbs 1 medium egg 1 tbsp olive oil

FOR THE TOMATO SAUCE

2 red peppers 1 carrot, grated 2 celery sticks, grated 1 courgette, grated 3 garlic cloves, grated 1 tbsp olive oil 1 tbsp tomato purée pinch golden caster sugar splash red wine vinegar 3 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes cooked spaghetti and basil, to serve

1 Squeeze all the sausagemeat out of the skins into a large bowl. Add the rest of the meatball ingredients except the oil to the bowl and season well. Use your hands to squish everything together until completely mixed.

2 Roll the meatball mix into walnut-sized balls, then place them on a board or tray. Cover the meatballs with cling film.

3 Peel the peppers with a vegetable peeler, cut off the tops and bottoms and deseed. Cut the peppers in half, then into strips.

4 Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the vegetables and garlic and cook for 5 mins. Stir in the tomato purée, sugar and vinegar, leave for 1 min, then tip in the tomatoes and simmer for 5 mins. Blitz the sauce with a hand blender. Gently simmer the sauce.

5 Meanwhile, brown the meatballs in the oil on all sides in a frying pan, then put them in the tomato sauce, working in batches if necessary. Simmer for 15 mins, gently stirring until cooked through. Eat now or cool and freeze in batches for up to six months. Serve with spaghetti, basil and extra parmesan. PER SERVING 375 kcals, fat 21g, saturates 8g, carbs 21g, sugars 11g, fibre 4g, protein 25g, salt 1.5g