Lamb Meatballs with Pasta and Ricotta - Chef Recipe by Darren Robertson

Ingredients

500g lamb mince
2 brown onions, diced
1 sprig of rosemary, chopped
2 bay leaves
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 eggplant, diced
1 tin crushed tomatoes
2 tsp sweet paprika
1 tsp honey
100g ricotta
150g pasta (pick your favourite)
Handful of fresh basil, parsley or mint
Olive oil
Hard cheese to finish (optional)

Method

Mix lamb mince with half the paprika, chopped herbs and diced onion (the other half is used for the sauce). Shape into golf ball-sized balls.

Fry off in a large non-stick pan in a little oil until lovely and golden. Remove from pan and set aside.

Reduce heat, add a touch more olive oil to same pan and add the diced eggplant, onion, garlic, bay leaves and rosemary.

Cook for 4-5 minutes, giving an occasional stir. Add honey and tomatoes, bring to the boil. Pop meatballs back into pan and cook for another 4-5 minutes.

Spoon on fresh cheese, season with olive oil and fresh herbs. Grate over a little more cheese if you wish.

Serve with pasta, couscous, steamed brown rice or a baked potato.

Tips:

When you fry the meatballs, don’t worry if they are still a bit pink in the middle, they will finish cooking in the sauce and help give more flavour.

If you don’t have fresh rosemary, use dried rosemary, oregano, thyme or parsley. Same for the paprika, this can be substituted with ground cumin, fennel or coriander.

Any sort of hearty vegetable works well with this recipe. Simply replace the eggplant with carrot, pumpkin, celery or beetroot.

For the curd cheese, ricotta, mozzarella or bocconcini all work well.

Credits: Australian Lamb

Photo Credits: Australian Lamb