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Ingredients

For the sauce

For the meatballs

Method

  • STEP 1

    Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan with a lid, then tip in the onion, carrots, celery, garlic and fennel, and stir well. Cover the pan and cook over a medium heat for 8 mins, stirring every now and then. Pour in the passata and season well with salt and pepper. Cover and leave to simmer for 20 mins.

  • STEP 2

    Meanwhile, tip the mince into a large bowl. Add the oats, fennel seeds and leaves, the garlic and plenty of black pepper, and mix in with your hands. Lightly shape into 25 meatballs about the size of a walnut. Spray or rub a non-stick pan with a little oil and gently cook the meatballs until they take on a little colour. Give the sauce a stir, then add the meatballs and parsley. Cover and cook for 10 mins until they are cooked through and the veg in the sauce is tender. Serve with broccoli and baby potatoes in their skins, or pasta and salad.

USE UP ANY LEFTOVER FENNEL
PENNE WITH FENNEL & PARMESAN

Make vegetarian penne with fennel & parmesan instead. Follow the recipe, above, but omit the meatballs and serve the sauce tossed through 200g wholemeal penne (dry weight) with 50g grated parmesan (or vegetarian alternative). (Nutrition per serving: 375 kcals, fat 11g, saturates 4g, carbs 47g, sugars 15g, fibre 9g, protein 22g, salt 0.6g)

Goes well with

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A star rating of 3.8 out of 5.33 ratings
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