Baked meatballs in tomato sauce

I saw a baked Italian meatball recipe in tomato passata and thought that it's a great meal idea for a busy winter.

Adapted heavily from this greek recipe: http://www.sbs.com.au/food/recipes/baked-meatballs-tomato-sauce-souzoukakia

I liked the recipe because it used rice and I always have leftover rice lying about! It also mixed beef with pork mince, so why not. The spices and herbs are entirely up to you.

Ingredients

250g minced beef

250g minced pork

1 tsp allspice

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tbsp light soya sauce

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp coriander

1 tbsp dried basil

1 tbsp dried oregano

1 tsp paprika 

3 tbsp panko

1 egg

1 1/2 cups rice

1 bottle passata or 1 can tomato

½ cup water

2 cups shredded cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

½ tsp sugar

Method

1) In a big mixing bowl, add the beef, pork, allspice, nutmeg, cumin, coriander, soya sauce, egg, panko and rice. Mix well and knead. 

2) Form into baseball sized balls. I tossed them from hand to hand to knock out the air. Lay in a single layer on an oiled casserole dish. 

3) In a bowl, mix the passata, water, salt, pepper, sugar, basil, and oregano. Pour between the balls. Cover with foil and bake at 180 deg C for 25 minutes.

4) Top with the cheese and uncovered, bake a further 20 minutes at 220 deg C.

5) Serve immediately with more rice if desired.