Cheese Stuffed Italian-Style Meatballs with Simple Low FODMAP Spaghetti

I really love meatballs, and these are my current favourite. Squidgy cheese stuffed savoury bites of nostalgia – who wouldn't enjoy that? I promise, they're dead-simple to assemble. They won't fall apart on you. Also if you're ever stuck with some sub-par dairy-free cheese, this recipe is fantastic to use (not very much of) it up! The cooking method melts the cheese to perfection, so even the crabbiest vegan cheese ends up tasting amazing.

I've paired them with my go-to low FODMAP simple spaghetti sauce that's fresh, quick, flavourful and well-rounded (which I don't think I've shared anywhere... it's a good staple!). Hope you enjoy one or the other... or both!

INGREDIENTS

Meatballs

• 1 x 340g pkt Impossible Mince
• 3/4 cup gluten-free breadcrumbs
• handful parsley, finely chopped (use dill, basil, mint – if that's all you have)
• 1 tbsp dried Italian mixed herbs
• 1 heaped tsp dairy-free basil pesto
• 1 tsp maple syrup
• drizzle of garlic-infused extra-virgin olive oil
• salt & pepper, to season
• approx. 15 cubes dairy-free cheese, 1cm-squared in size
• light-flavoured vegetable oil, for frying

Spaghetti

• glug of garlic-infused extra-virgin olive oil
• 2–4 spring onions, finely chopped (amount to taste)
• 2 tomatoes, finely diced
• pinch of salt
• 400ml tomato passata
• small handful (approx. 10) pitted jarred olives, very finely chopped
• small handful parsley, finely chopped
• 1 heaped tsp nutritional yeast
• 1 heaped tsp dairy-free basil pesto
• generous grind of pepper
• 1 pkt gluten-free spaghetti

METHOD

1. Add all the Meatball ingredients (sans the last two ingredients – cheese and light-flavoured vegetable oil) to a large bowl and mix with your hands to combine. To assemble, take a ping-pong sized amount of the mixture in your palm, flatten it into an oval, place a cube of cheese in the centre and enclose the mince mixture around the cheese. Squeeze the mixture tightly and gently roll into a ball the size of a ping-pong ball (pinching off any excess, as required). You should have enough mixture to form approx. 15 meatballs. Refrigerate while you prepare the pasta sauce.
2. Prepare the Spaghetti by heating a medium-large pot or pan over medium heat. Add a very generous glug of garlic-infused extra-virgin olive oil and add the spring onions. Sauté for a couple of minutes until starting to soften. Add the tomatoes, salt and continue sautéing for another few minutes until the diced tomatoes have released their juices, softened slightly, but mostly retaining their shape. Add the remaining ingredients (sans the spaghetti) to the pan. Fill the passata jar 1/4–1/2 way with water and with the lid secured, shake to clean the inside. Add this water to the sauce and stir everything to combine. Bring to a gentle simmer, turn the heat down and let bubble away for at least 5 minutes (I usually give it 10, it's a fresh-tasting sauce).
3. Cook your prepared Meatballs by heating a glug of light-flavoured vegetable oil in a pan and once hot adding in the balls. Brown on each side, over low-medium heat – as they brown up quicker than you'd expect. The cheese inside will melt from this browning alone... promise!
4. Cook the spaghetti according to packet instructions. Once cooked, add to the tomato pasta sauce, toss to combine (a wise person would pop an apron on for this step) and serve with the meatballs. Bon appetite!