So, I used to really hate meatballs (perhaps because I first encountered them in a thing of horror called the meatball sub, doused in ketchup. And I *really* hate ketchup)... till I discovered they can, with a little tweaking, be eaten like kababs. And also that when cooked in pasta sauce, they impart a delicious a fried-meaty flavour to it, even if one carefully sidesteps the actual meatballs in the sauce. Plus, although it takes a little time, they're really, really easy to make. In my opinion, everyone should have about three jars of this pasta sauce (recipe courtesy the old beloved) in the fridge for those horribly exhausting days when you don't want spend any more $$ on takeaway or stupid frozen meals, and certainly don't want to cook. Put the pasta to boil and go take a quick, refreshing shower. Then come back, pop scoops of the sauce in the microwave/oven, pour over pasta, and have a scrumptious meal.

Ingredients:
Ground beef.
Scallions.
Onions.
Oregano, parsley, basil.
Garlic.
Salt, pepper.
An egg.
Bread crumbs.
Tinned tomatoes OR a cheap jar of tomato sauce (or both).

Making the meatballs is easy. Just follow the pictures.

Bread crumbs, pepper (some dry oregano).

Crushed garlic.

Chopped onions, scallions, an egg.

Meatballs.

Dough

Meatballs!

Fried meatballs!

And now, for the sauce. If using fresh or tinned tomatoes, chop them practically to the point of mincing. In a saucepan, add a cup of water, add the tinned or fresh tomatoes, and mix it thoroughly with the water to make a thick paste. If using pasta sauce, use the water anyway to prevent any charring of the sauce, and mix the two well. If using both, add sauce after adding tomatoes and mixing it in. Depending on how much sauce you want, you can add more water now. In fact, I advise adding about three cups of water, since the sauce will reduce while cooking. And now, back to the picture book!

Sprinkle tomatoes/pasta sauce/combination with pepper and a dash of chilli powder, if you can stand it.

Add a few scoops of the sauce to the meatballs and cook over a medium flame, tossing the meatballs and breaking a few of them to mix with the sauce.

Prepare a combination of chopped oregano, basil and parsley (plus he added some dried herbs he had).

Add the herbs, a cup of chopped onions, ground mozarella, and salt to the remaining tomato sauce (which should be bubbly at this point). With gentle turns in any one direction, mix everything thoroughly.

When the meatball+sauce combi starts bubbling, turn off flame and add whole+crushed meatballs in sauce to the saucepan. Mix well together. Cover and cook on medium for about ten minutes (add a little water if needed). Serve directly over boiled and drained pasta, OR, serve over pasta already mixed with olive oil, grated romano cheese and pine nuts for that extra kick in flavour.

NOTE: tomatoe sauce bubbles and makes a mess. Be prepared to cover the pots and pans while making this.