Nail this easy Mary Berg recipe by grabbing a few useful kitchen tools:
Difficulty
Novice
Portions
4
Preparation Time
10 minutes
Cooking Time
45 minutes
Ingredients
- 300g spaghetti
- Olive oil
- 3–4 spicy Italian sausages
- 1 yellow onion, grated
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- Salt & pepper
- 1 can tomato paste
- Splash white wine or water
- 1 (796ml) can crushed tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon dry Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- ½ cup finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano
Directions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Season well with salt and cook the spaghetti according to the package directions.
- Meanwhile, heat a large braiser or non-stick skillet over medium/medium-high heat. Add in a few teaspoons of oil to heat. Using a sharp knife, split the sausage casings open and use a spoon to portion out about 1 tablespoon portions of the sausage meat into the pan. These will not be perfect round meatballs but that’s ok – if you do want round meatballs, simply roll each piece of sausage between your hands before adding to the pan.
- Cook for about 5 minutes or until browned all over. Stir in the grated onion and garlic, season with salt and pepper, and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste followed by the wine or water. Add in the canned tomatoes, dry Italian seasoning, and crushed red pepper flakes, cover the pan with an off-kilter lid and bring to a simmer. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes just until the meatballs are fully cooked through.
- Meanwhile, add the ricotta and Parmigiano to a small food processor and blitz until smooth. Alternatively, whisk or stir the ricotta and Parm together. Season with salt and pepper.
- When the pasta and meatballs are cooked, drag the noodles into the sauce and toss to combine, adding a splash of pasta water if needed.
- Serve topped with the ricotta mixture, a drizzle of olive oil, and some more chili flakes.
