Give Italy's famous meatballs, or polpette, an ingenious vegetarian makeover with spinach, breadcrumbs and a jar of Sacla' Rooted In Nature Organic Tomato & Basil Sauce, making the dish super easy (and extra tasty of course).
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Cook Time
30 mins
Serves
4
Ingredients
500g frozen spinach, drained
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
100g fresh breadcrumbs
50g finely grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving
Place the spinach in a colander and drain as much liquid as possible squeezing it in your hands. Chop the spinach well and place in a large bowl.
Step 2
Add the garlic, breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, egg and lemon zest. Season well with a good pinch of salt and some ground black pepper then mix together really well. It might be easier at this point to get your hands in to help mix everything together. Shape the mixture into about 20 small balls.
Step 3
Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and gently cook the spinach polpette until they are golden all over about 2-3 minutes. Add the jar of tomato and basil sauce and bring to a gentle simmer. Add the mascarpone and allow to melt into the sauce then stir through. Simmer together for 10 minutes, stirring regularly. Adding a little water if the sauce thickens up a little too much.
Step 4
Meanwhile bring a pan of water to the boil and cook the penne pasta according to the packet instructions.
Step 5
Drain the pasta well and gently stir into the pan with the polpette and sauce the ladle into serving bowls. Serve with extra parmesan and basil.
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