Meatballs with vegetables and sauce

Ingredients

For the meatballs

• 500 g ground pork and beef
• 1 small zucchini (150 g peeled)
• 1/2 bell pepper (75 g)
• 1 small carrot (50 g)
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 egg
• 4 g fresh parsley
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons breadcrumbs
• 45 ml oil for frying

For the sauce

• 1 medium onion (150 g)
• 3 garlic cloves
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 500 ml tomato passata
• 2 hot pepper rounds (5 g)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 5 g fresh parsley
• 1 teaspoon honey

Preparation

1. Peel the pepper, carrot and zucchini. Dice the pepper and carrot, grate the zucchini and crush the 3 garlic cloves for the meatballs. 2. Put the ground meat in a bowl and add the zucchini, pepper, carrot, garlic, egg and 4 g chopped parsley. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, knead well, then work in the breadcrumbs. 3. Shape into round meatballs of similar size. Heat 45 ml oil in a frying pan and fry them for 12 minutes, turning until browned and cooked through. 4. Peel the onion and the 3 garlic cloves for the sauce, then grate them finely. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a saucepan and sauté the onion and garlic for 1 minute, until translucent. 5. Pour in the tomato passata and add the hot pepper rounds. Simmer the sauce for 12 minutes, until it thickens a little, then add 1/2 teaspoon salt and the chopped parsley. 6. Take the sauce off the heat and leave it to cool for 5 minutes. Add the honey and stir gently, then serve with the meatballs.