Ingredients

Meatballs
1/2 large onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
50g parmesan cheese, grated
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp paprika
1 egg, beaten
500g lean minced beef
2 tbsp olive oil, for frying
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Sauce
1/2 large onion
2 garlic cloves, crushed
600ml passata
3 tbsp tomato purée
2 tsp caster sugar
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tbsp chopped basil

Method

1 To make the meatballs: put all the ingredients except the oil in a large bowl. Season well with salt and pepper and mix with your hands until combined. Shape into 24 even-sized balls and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.

2 Heat the oil in a wide, heavy-based frying pan. Add the meatballs and fry over a high heat, turning with a fork and spoon for 8-10 minutes or until just golden brown. You will need to do this in batches in order to not overcrowd the pan. Once the meatballs are browned all over, remove and place on kitchen paper to absorb any excess oil.

3 To make the sauce, return the same pan to the heat (no need to add more oil), add the onion and garlic and cook over a medium heat until the onion is soft.

4 Stir in the passata, tomato purée, sugar and cayenne pepper. Add 300mL of water and season with salt and pepper. Let the sauce bubble, uncovered, for 10 minutes until slightly reduced. Now it's time to add the meatballs back to the pan along with half the chopped basil.

5 Cover again with the lid and simmer for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the meatballs are cooked through. Serve piping hot with gluten-free spaghetti and with the rest of the basil sprinkled over.