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    Home » Recipes » Meatball and meatloaf recipes

    Spicy meatballs in homemade tomato sauce

    Published: May 22, 2019 · Modified: Jun 12, 2024 by VJ · This post may contain affiliate links · Leave a Comment

    Jump to recipe

    Spicy meatballs in homemade tomato sauce make the perfect family supper. Pile them up high on a plate of rice or on a bed of freshly cooked spaghetti then smother them in a delicious tomato sauce. I guarantee lots of empty plates!!!!

    Spicy meatballs in homemade tomato sauce on a bed of spaghetti.
    Jump to:
    • Back in the day
    • My first attempt at meatballs
    • Ingredients for spicy meatballs in homemade tomato sauce
    • How to make spicy meatballs with tomato sauce
    • Can I freeze spicy meatballs in homemade tomato sauce?
    • Make miniature meatballs for a quick party snack
    • Save for later
    • Related recipes
    • 📋The recipe

    Back in the day

    School in South Africa, back in the early '60s, was a very stereotyped affair. For 2 hours every Friday afternoon, the girls and boys were separated into 2 different classes. Girls were taught Domestic Science, and the luckier boys got to do Woodwork.

    Domestic Science was the low light of my week. The curriculum covered all aspects of home-making - cleaning, needlework and cookery. We had a textbook that we had to work through, covering how to clean a house. To this day, the one thing that sticks in my mind is being taught the correct way to sweep a floor. There it was, written down in black and white, "Step 1 - Stand behind the broom". Riveting stuff!

    I'm going to gloss over the needlework part of the curriculum. Suffice it to say that the blouse I painstakingly handstitched ended up being used as a duster!

    The cookery lessons were marginally better. However, looking back, I do feel sorry for the teacher whose job it was to instil the basics of cooking into 20 or so unwilling 14-year-old girls. We were given the raw ingredients and had to follow along, as she patiently demonstrated how to make macaroni cheese and scones that turned out like rocks as we enthusiastically overmixed them.

    A spoonful of spaghetti and meatballs being lifted from the dish.

    Serve these meatballs with spaghetti or linguine.

    My first attempt at meatballs

    One of the things she taught us that does stick in my mind was how to make meatballs. It was a very basic recipe consisting of just minced beef, grated onions, egg and breadcrumbs, which we fried in cooking oil (no health considerations in those days). Surprisingly, mine turned out to be quite edible and I remember going home and making them for supper for the family that night.

    I think it was those meatballs that started my love affair with cooking. The fact that I suddenly realised that taking ingredients and turning them into something worth eating, actually provided quite a sense of achievement.

    A lot of water has passed under the bridge since those days and I like to think the flavour of my meatballs has improved somewhat. Here is my recipe for spicy meatballs in homemade tomato sauce. I hope you enjoy it!

    Ingredients for spicy meatballs in homemade tomato sauce

    **You can get the complete list of ingredients and full instructions for making these meatballs on the printable recipe card at the end of this post**

    This recipe is sufficient for 4 people.

    For the meatballs

    Ingredients for spicymeatballs.
    • Beef mince or ground beef - I like to use mince with a 12% fat content. Anything more and the meatballs produce too much fat when they are cooked; anything less and the meatballs are inclined to be dry.
    • White bread soaked in ¼ cup milk - this helps to bind the meatballs together. Cut the crusts off the bread first or you run the risk of getting lumps of crust in your meatballs.
    • Egg - this also helps bind the meatballs.
    • Onion - grated or finely chopped in a food processor. The pieces of onion should be quite small - you don't want any large pieces of onion in the meatballs.
    • Dried chilli flakes - for a touch of heat
    • Worcestershire Sauce - for extra flavour
    • Dried mixed herbs
    • Salt and freshly ground black pepper - to taste
    • Sunflower oil - for frying the meatballs.

    For the tomato sauce

    Ingredients for homemade tomato sauce.
    • Fresh tomatoes and onions - which should be finely processed in a food processor. This is quite a smooth sauce so we don't want large pieces in there.
    • Mushrooms - sliced
    • White wine vinegar - you could also use red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar.
    • Brown sugar - to counteract the tartness of the vinegar
    • Dried chilli flakes - for heat (but because there is already chilli in the meatballs, this is optional)
    • Garlic - finely chopped
    • Salt and black pepper to taste
    • Tomato puree or tomato passata - I like to use tomato passata which is made from whole fresh tomatoes, which have been sieved to remove the seeds and skins.
    A carton of tomato passata

    How to make spicy meatballs with tomato sauce

    For the spicy meatballs

    Steps for mixing and shaping the meatballs.
    • Soak the bread in milk. Leave it to stand until all the milk has been absorbed and the bread is soggy.
    • Place the meat in a mixing bowl and add the rest of the ingredients.
    • Gently squeeze the milk from the bread and add the bread to the meat.
    • Grate in one large onion and add all the seasoning ingredients.  Season with salt and pepper and mix all together thoroughly (images 1 and 2 above).
    • Form the mixture into 16 evenly-sized balls (image 3 above).

    Tip - To stop the meatballs from sticking to your hands whilst forming the meatballs keep a bowl of cold water close by for dipping your hands into. The meat will not stick to wet hands.

    • Heat a little sunflower oil in a frying pan and fry the meatballs gently for about 8 minutes. Turn them often, until they are nicely browned on all sides (image 4 above).
    • Test that the meatballs are properly cooked, by cutting one in half. There should be no pink showing. If the meatballs are still pink, fry them for a minute or two longer.
    • Remove from the pan and set aside.
    Meatballs cut open to show the insides.

    For the tomato sauce

    Steps for making the tomato sauce.
    • Peel the onions and cut them into quarters. Peel the garlic. Place the onions and garlic in a food processor and blitz them until they are about the size of cooked grains of rice.
    • Heat the olive oil in a saucepan and add the onions. Let them sweat, covered, in the saucepan for 2 minutes.
    • While the onions are sweating, blend the tomatoes in the food processor and then add them to the onions. Increase the heat and bring the tomato and onion to a boil. Then cover with a lid and reduce the heat to a simmer. Leave for 5 minutes.
    • While the tomatoes and onions are simmering, wipe the mushrooms with a clean damp cloth and either slice or cut them into quarters (depending on the size)
    • Add the mushrooms remaining ingredients, stir well and cover with a lid. Reduce the heat and allow to simmer for 30 minutes until you have a lovely mushy sauce.
    • If the sauce seems too thin, leave the lid off the pan for the last 5 to 10 minutes of cooking time.

    Take care when adding the chilli. Dried chilli flakes can be quite hot so if you don't want the sauce to have too much of a bite add the chilli flakes gradually and taste as you go.

    • Add the meatballs and leave them in the pan for another 5 minutes until they are heated through.
    • Serve the meatballs and sauce with either rice or spaghetti.

    And there you have it - spicy meatballs in a homemade tomato sauce. A quick and easy mid-week dinner.

    A spoonful of spaghetti and meatballs being lifted from the dish.

    Can I freeze spicy meatballs in homemade tomato sauce?

    You can freeze these spicy meatballs, either cooked or uncooked.  Just arrange them, untouching, in a suitable container, and they can be kept in the freezer, uncooked for up to 3 months, or cooked for up to 1 month.

    I would let these defrost in the fridge, or you can defrost them in the microwave if you are in a hurry.  Then just cook them according to the recipe.

    If you want to cook these from frozen you will have to add about 5 minutes extra onto the cooking time.

    You can also freeze any leftover tomato sauce. Just ladle it into a suitable freezer container or ziploc bag and place it in the freezer. This sauce will keep well for up to 6 months.

    To defrost, tip the frozen sauce into a saucepan and heat gently until defrosted, then increase the heat and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and serve.

    If you'd like to be notified of new recipes, why not subscribe to my newsletter? To say thank you, you will receive a free recipe e-book containing some of my most popular cakes and desserts.

    Make miniature meatballs for a quick party snack

    If you are looking for a quick party snack, you could make marble-sized meatballs. 

    Fry the meatballs in batches for about 5 minutes until nicely browned. They will take less time to cook than the larger meatballs.

    Stick them onto cocktail sticks and serve with a bowl of  Thai Sweet Chilli Sauce (Nam Chim Kai) for dipping.  This recipe will make 40 - 50 miniature meatballs.

    Another delightful party snack would be these sticky teriyaki meatballs - why not check out the recipe?

    Save for later

    Why not pin this recipe for spicy meatballs in homemade tomato sauce to one of your Pinterest board so you can find it easily? Just click the image below.

    Alternatively, you can save the recipe by clicking on the floating heart icon on the right-hand side of the screen.

    Related recipes

    You can find similar recipes on my meatball and meatloaf recipes page. Here are a few you may enjoy:

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    📋The recipe

    Spicy meatballs in homemade tomato sauce on a bed of spaghetti.

    Spicy meatballs in homemade tomato sauce

    Soft juicy meatballs smothered in a tangy tomato mushroom sauce make the perfect family supper. Serve with rice or on a bed of freshly cooked spaghetti. I guarantee lots of empty plates!!!!
    Recipe by: Veronica
    Main Course
    British
    Calories 450
    Prep 15 minutes minutes
    Cook 50 minutes minutes
    Total Time 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes
    Servings: 4 people
    Print Pin Comment Bookmark Saved!
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    5 from 1 vote

    (Click the stars to rate this recipe)

    Equipment

    • Saucepan
    • Mixing bowl
    • Grater
    • Frying Pan
    • Sharp Knife
    • Chopping Board

    Ingredients

    Spicy Meatballs

    • 12 ounce (350g) Minced Beef
    • 1 large Egg
    • 2 slices White Bread
    • ¼ cup milk for soaking the bread
    • 1 medium Onion Grated or very finely chopped
    • 1 teaspoon Chilli Flakes or to your own taste
    • 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
    • 1 teaspoon mixed herbs
    • Salt and freshly ground Black Pepper to taste
    • 3 tablespoons olive oil for frying.

    Tomato Sauce

    • 4 medium tomatoes very finely chopped
    • 2 medium onions very finely chopped
    • 1 cup chopped mushrooms
    • 2 tablespoons olive oil
    • 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar or other fruity vinegar
    • 1½ tablespoons brown sugar
    • 1 teaspoon dried chilli flakes adjust to your own taste
    • 2 cloves garlic very finely chopped
    • 1 cup tomato passata
    • Salt to taste

    Instructions

    Spicy Meatballs

    • Soak the bread in the milk until all the milk has been absorbed.
    • Place the ground beef in a mixing bowl and add the egg.
    • Gently squeeze the milk from the bread and add the bread to the meat.
    • Grate in the onion and add the rest of the ingredients (except for the olive oil).
    • Mix well to combine, then form into 16 golf-ball sized balls
    • Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and fry the meatballs gently for about 8 minutes, turning often, until they are nicely browned on all sides.
    • Remove from the pan and set aside.

    Tomato Sauce

    • Peel the onions an cut them into quarters. Peel the garlic cloves. Place the onions and garlic in a food processor and blitz them until they about the size of cooked grains of rice.
    • Heat the olive oil in a saucepan and add the onions. Let them sweat, covered, in the saucepan for 2 minutes.
    • While the onions are sweating, blend the tomatoes in the food processor and then add them to the onions. Increase the heat and bring the tomato and onion to a boil. Then cover with a lid and reduce the heat to a simmer. Leave for 5 minutes.
    • While the tomatoes and onions are simmering, wipe the mushrooms with a clean damp cloth and either slice or cut into quarters (depending on the size)
    • Add the mushrooms remaining ingredients, stir well and cover with a lid. Reduce the heat and allow to simmer for 30 minutes until you have a lovely mushy sauce.
      If the sauce is too thin, remove the lid from the pan for the last 5 minutes of cooking time.
    • Add the meatballs and leave them in the pan for another 5 minutes until they are heated through.

    To serve

    • Serve the meatballs and sauce on a bed of rice or spaghetti.

    Notes

    If you prefer you can use a mixture of pork and beef mince.
    When making the meatballs, keep a bowl of water close by to dip your hands into.  The meat will not stick to wet hands.
    Test that the meatballs are cooked by cutting one in half.  It should not be pink in the centre.
    The sauce can be left uncovered for the final 5 to 10 minutes of cooking time to allow it to thicken.
    When adding the chilli to the tomato sauce, adjust the amount according to your own taste.  Dried chilli flakes can be quite hot, so take care.
    Calorie count does not include rice or pasta.

    Nutrition

    Calories - 450kcal | Carbohydrates - 25g | Protein - 32.5g | Fat - 25.1g | Saturated Fat - 5.2g | Cholesterol - 126mg | Sodium - 437mg | Potassium - 878mg | Fiber - 3.7g | Sugar - 14.9g | Calcium - 75mg | Iron - 18mg

    I am not a nutritionist. The nutrition information has been calculated using an on-line calculator, and is intended for information and guidance purposes only. If the nutrition information is important to you, you should consider calculating it yourself, using your preferred tool.

    Unless otherwise stated, a cup is the standard US cup containing 240 ml. In all my recipes this cup is assumed to hold 140g of flour. For help converting other ingredients between cups, grams, ounces and other measures, see my recipe conversion calculator.
    All my recipes are developed and tested at sea-level. For tips on adjusting recipes for high altitudes see my post on baking at high altitudes.
    Tried this recipe?If you made this recipe I'd love it if you could leave me a comment and let me know how it went!
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    If you made this recipe and enjoyed it, I'd love it if you could give me a star rating in the comments below. And if you'd like to get in touch, you can email me at [email protected]. I'd love to hear from you. And don't forget to subscribe to my mailing list so you can grab yourself a copy of my FREE COOKBOOK!

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    About VJ

    Before I started my food blog I was an IT Consultant. Now that I've swapped an office for a kitchen I have a lot more time to spend on things that interest me such as trying out new recipes. Most of my cooking is based around quick and easy meals, mostly made from scratch, using everyday pantry ingredients.

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