Chicken meatballs with spicy tomato sauce

PREP 15 MINS + 2 HOURS CHILLING COOK 40 MINS MAKES 24 3 PER SERVE AS A STARTER

350g lean chicken breast mince 90g (1 cup) fresh breadcrumbs, made from wholemeal grain bread or from gluten-free bread 1 egg yolk (from 60g egg)

1 clove garlic, crushed

¼ cup finely chopped basil Freshly ground black pepper

SPICY TOMATO SAUCE

1 tsp olive oil

1 small brown onion, finely

chopped

2 small fresh red chillies, finely

chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

810g can no-added-salt chopped

tomatoes

60ml (¼ cup) water

1 tsp caster sugar 1 Spicy tomato sauce: Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, chilli and garlic. Stir to combine. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 7 minutes or until the onion softens. Add the tomato and water. Increase heat to high and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes or until sauce reduces and thickens. Stir in the sugar. Remove the pan from heat and set aside to cool slightly. Transfer sauce to a small bowl. Cover and put in the fridge for at least 2 hours, or until well chilled.

2 Chicken meatballs: Put the chicken mince, breadcrumbs, egg yolk, garlic and basil in a medium bowl. Season with pepper and mix well. Shape tablespoonsful of mixture into balls to make 24 meatballs. 3 Spray a barbecue plate with cooking spray. Heat on medium. Add the meatballs and use a flat spatula to flatten slightly. Cook, turning once, for 7-8 minutes or until cooked through.

4 Serve the meatballs with half of the tomato sauce, reserving remainder for steak sandwiches. Accompany with toothpicks.

Nutrition info

PER SERVE 393kJ, protein 10g, total fat 1g (sat. fat 0g), carbs 9g, fibre 1g, sodium 78mg • Carb exchanges ½ • GI estimate low • Gluten-free option • Lower carb