This is a classic dish, and there are as many recipes as Italian’s telling you that their recipe is the best! What I like about this recipe is the number of substitutions you can make based on what you have to hand, or what needs using up and still come out with a top meal. So if you are digging around your store cupboard and find strange dried herbs, or have frozen pork mince, or passata, try your hand at these meatballs. Have a play and end up with a filling meal.

Step 1 - Make your balls

• Put the minced beef in a large bowl - make it a mix of beef, pork and / or veal for a lighter meatball

• Add the parmesan, egg, salt and spices

• Give it a good mix
  Top tip: your hands are the best tool here, give them a clean and get stuck in!

• Divide the mix into even amounts, you should be able to get about 30 x 30g balls
  Top tip: wet hands will help you roll your balls

• Heat a generous glug of olive oil in a big pan

• Fry off the balls, in batches, if you need too until they have a nice brown crust

Step 2 - Make the sauce

• Tip in two tins of tomatoes into the meatballs
  Top tip: whole plum tomatoes in sauce are better quality than ready chopped, but chop yourself. Use whatever you have in the cupboard though, chopped toms and passata work too.

• Give a good stir and bring to the boil

• Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally

• Finely chop the parsley

• Chiffonade the basil

• Add the herbs and stir once more

• In a separate pan heat the butter

• Add the massive amount of spinach to the butter and carefully toss until wilted, and it shrinks to a tenth of the size!

• Season well and stir into the tomato-ey meatballs

• Mix together and have a taste of the sauce. Season to your liking

Tear the ball of mozzarella and scatter over the meatballs. Serve over pasta, on its own, or as here the next day, as an oven bake to let the mozzarella melt and brown!

 Ingredients - Italian meatballs

• 750g minced beef

• 75g grated parmesan

• 1 large egg

• 1 tsp salt

• 2.5 tsp dried basil

• 1.5 tsp garlic powder

• 1 tsp onion granules

• 0.25 tsp chilli flakes

• 0.5 tsp ground black pepper

• Olive oil for frying

• 2 x tins tomatoes

• 250g baby spinach

• 50g unsalted butter

• Salt and pepper

• Fresh parsley

• Fresh basil

• 1 x ball mozzarella