Spaghetti & Snagballs
When it comes to making a quick meal, these "spaghetti snagballs" are awesome. Whether you need to fix a meal in a hurry because it's a week night and the kids are hanging off your leg and hungry, or you just want something that's tasty and wont take long to prepare, this is a great meal. Or you could do as I do, and take your time, put some music on, have a glass of wine.
Or you could get the kids to help by getting them to prepare the sausages, wash and pick the basil leaves, or any other helpful things they can do for you. I find they're more likely to eat something they helped cook, and it's fun all round.
It serves four in my house, that's two adults and two children, and sometimes there's a bowl left over for lunch the next day...depending on how hungry my eldest is that night.
Ingredients
- 8 Pork Sausages
- 1 small bunch of fresh Basil
- 2 cloves of Garlic
- 2 x 400g tins of Tomatoes
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Balsamic Vinegar
- Salt/Pepper
- Pasta
- Parmesan Cheese
Method
Place a large pot of generously salted water on to boil and heat up a heavy based frying pan on medium/high heat.
Now grab your sausages (they don't necessarily have to be pork, they can be beef, chicken, or whatever flavoured sausage you enjoy) and squeeze out and pinch off the meat in a ball from the casing and place into a bowl. You can make them as big or small as you like, but smaller ones cook quicker.
Next, get your washed basil, about a good handful, and pick off the leaves and give them a rough chop.
Heat a medium sized saucepan on low/medium heat and pour a nice glug of the oil in there. Once this is heated (but not smoking), crush your garlic into the pan and give it a stir, making sure not to burn the garlic, you want a nice mellow taste, not that bitter taste. Once this is done, throw a few basil leaves into the hot oil and garlic and let it infuse for about 30 seconds, always stirring to make sure it doesn't burn. Now pour your 2 tins of tomatoes into the pan, stir and bring to the boil.
Place the remaining chopped basil into the saucepan with the tomatoes and season with salt and pepper, and splash in about 2 teaspoons of balsamic vinegar. Taste, and then adjust to your liking.
Your frying pan should be nice and hot by now, so pour in some olive oil and place the snagballs into the frying pan. Leave them to get nice and browned and give them a toss to cook all over.
Check the sauce, give it a stir and use your wooden spoon to crush the tomatoes. You're not looking for a smooth sauce here, this is quick, rustic, and a few chunks of tomato in there are nice.
Once you get the sauce and snagballs cooking, place your spaghetti into the salted boiling water. Bring to the boil and cook to the packet directions.
By the time the pasta is cooked, your snagballs and sauce should be ready.
Drain the pasta and divide between your bowls, place a scoop of sauce onto the pasta and toss to coat. Place a serve of the snagballs on top and pour over some more sauce. Sprinkle with grated parmesan and garnish with some more fresh basil.
Serve with either a crusty bread with lashings of butter or garlic bread, and a nice red wine to relax after that long day.