Pork meatballs in tomato and mushroom sauce

Ingredients

For the meatballs

• 300 g ground pork
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon vegetable paste
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 10 g fresh parsley
• 5 g fresh basil
• 2 g fresh thyme

For the sauce

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small onion (70 g)
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 Knorr chicken cube
• 200 ml water
• 1 bay leaf
• 400 g canned tomatoes
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste (45 g)
• 3 tablespoons ketchup (45 g)
• 170 g drained canned mushrooms
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 15 g fresh basil

To serve

• 160 g spaghetti
• 1500 ml water
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 20 g grated Parmesan

Preparation

1. Mix 300 g ground pork with the egg, 1 tablespoon vegetable paste, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, the garlic powder, flour, finely chopped parsley, basil and thyme. Shape into meatballs and refrigerate for 1-2 hours. 2. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan and sauté the finely chopped onion for 5 minutes, until translucent. Add the minced garlic. 3. Add the meatballs to the saucepan and brown them lightly, carefully turning them for 8 minutes until browned on all sides. 4. Dissolve the Knorr cube in 200 ml hot water and pour the broth over the meatballs. Add the bay leaf, cover and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes. 5. Add the canned tomatoes with their sauce, tomato paste, ketchup and drained mushrooms. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, the oregano and sugar. Simmer uncovered for 20 minutes, until the sauce thickens, then stir in the fresh basil. 6. Cook the spaghetti in 1500 ml water with 1 teaspoon salt for 9 minutes, until al dente. Serve the meatballs with grated Parmesan on top.