One-Pot Sausage Meatball Pasta

by Nagi Maehashi, featured in RecipeTin Eats Dinner

Published by Bluebird

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Introduction

Anyone who knows me knows I hate rolling meatballs — hence why I love these sausage meatballs. Just cut sausages up into pieces and voila, instant meatballs! Here I cook them in a bright tomato sauce with rigatoni. Think a big, bubbly pasta bake — only you’ve done it all on the stove in one pot in less time than it’d take to roll up proper meatballs!

As featured in

RecipeTin Eats Dinner

Image of Nagi Maehashi's One-Pot Sausage Meatball Pasta — Photo by Nagi Maehashi

Ingredients

Serves: 4-5

Metric Cups

1½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
500 grams good-quality thin beef or pork sausages, cut into 1.5 cm / ¾ inch pieces (mini meatballs!)
1 brown onion (finely chopped)
2 cloves of garlic (minced)
1 carrot (peeled and finely diced)
1 celery stalk (finely diced)
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
3 tablespoons tomato paste
800 grams can crushed tomatoes
500 millilitres low-salt chicken stock
375 millilitres water
¾ teaspoon cooking salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
300 grams rigatoni pasta (or penne, ziti or macaroni)
150 grams colby cheese or any melting cheese (shredded)
1 teaspoon finely chopped parsley, to serve (optional)

1½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 pound good-quality thin beef or pork sausages, cut into 1.5 cm / ¾ inch pieces (mini meatballs!)
1 brown onion (finely chopped)
2 cloves of garlic (minced)
1 carrot (peeled and finely diced)
1 celery stalk (finely diced)
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
60 grams tomato paste
28 ounces can crushed tomatoes
2 cups low-salt chicken broth
1½ cups water
¾ teaspoon cooking salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
10 ounces rigatoni pasta (or penne, ziti or macaroni)
1½ cups colby cheese or any melting cheese (shredded)
1 teaspoon finely chopped parsley, to serve (optional)

Method

One-Pot Sausage Meatball Pasta is a guest recipe by Nagi Maehashi so we are not able to answer questions regarding this recipe

Brown meatballs — Heat the oil over high heat in a large heavy-based pot. Add the sausage ‘meatballs’ and cook for 4–5 minutes, stirring regularly, until golden brown. Transfer to a bowl.
Sauté aromatics — Turn the heat down to medium–high. Discard all but 2 tablespoons of the fat in the pot, then return to the stove. Cook the onion, garlic, carrot, celery, bay leaf and rosemary for 3 minutes or until the onion is translucent.
Make sauce — Add the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute. Add the crushed tomatoes, stock, water, salt, pepper, sausage meatballs and the rigatoni. Stir, let it come up to a simmer, then place the lid on and turn the heat down to medium–low so it is simmering gently.
Cook for 20 minutes, stirring every now and then so the base doesn’t catch. Take the pot off the stove, remove the lid and check to ensure the pasta is just about cooked. It should still be soupier than you want. Stir well for 10 seconds — the sauce will reduce quickly. It should still be quite saucy — more gets absorbed in the next step.
Cheese it! — Working quickly, smooth the surface, then sprinkle with the cheese. Put the lid back on, then leave the pot on the turned-off stove for 3 minutes or until the cheese melts.
Serve — Serve immediately, sprinkled with parsley, if desired.

Brown meatballs — Heat the oil over high heat in a large heavy-based pot. Add the sausage ‘meatballs’ and cook for 4–5 minutes, stirring regularly, until golden brown. Transfer to a bowl.
Sauté aromatics — Turn the heat down to medium–high. Discard all but 2 tablespoons of the fat in the pot, then return to the stove. Cook the onion, garlic, carrot, celery, bay leaf and rosemary for 3 minutes or until the onion is translucent.
Make sauce — Add the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute. Add the crushed tomatoes, stock, water, salt, pepper, sausage meatballs and the rigatoni. Stir, let it come up to a simmer, then place the lid on and turn the heat down to medium–low so it is simmering gently.
Cook for 20 minutes, stirring every now and then so the base doesn’t catch. Take the pot off the stove, remove the lid and check to ensure the pasta is just about cooked. It should still be soupier than you want. Stir well for 10 seconds — the sauce will reduce quickly. It should still be quite saucy — more gets absorbed in the next step.
Cheese it! — Working quickly, smooth the surface, then sprinkle with the cheese. Put the lid back on, then leave the pot on the turned-off stove for 3 minutes or until the cheese melts.
Serve — Serve immediately, sprinkled with parsley, if desired.

Additional Information

Any sausages will work well in this recipe as long as they are the thin ones around 1.8–2 cm wide. The really fat sausages work too, but you get less meatballs. Be sure to choose good-quality sausages as they are part of the flavour base in this dish. There is a time and place for the really economical ones (fundraising sausage sizzle approved!) but they are laden with fillers, so now is not the time! Opt for sausages where you can see fat specks, or check the ingredients to see how much of the sausage is not meat (aim for 90%+ meat). Beef sausages brown more than pork and chicken, but any of these are fine. Just get your favourite!

Any melting cheese will work here — colby seems to always be in my fridge these days.

LEFTOVERS: Fridge 4 days, freezer 3 months. Fully thaw, then microwave to reheat.

Any melting cheese will work here — colby seems to always be in my fridge these days.

LEFTOVERS: Fridge 4 days, freezer 3 months. Fully thaw, then microwave to reheat.

Tell us what you think

What 1 Other has said

Oh my goodness this looks incredibly yummy! It speaks to me as I have little time to cook these days and something quick fits the bill. I'm going to make it this week. Yummo!

Posted by WayneSA on 14th April 2023

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