A simple spaghetti and meatballs recipe with some sneaky nourishing ingredients

I always try to include as many nourishing ingredients as possible in recipes. For this one, I’m combining one of my favourite legumes with traditional spaghetti and meatballs. Here, lentils provide great texture, fibre and protein, along with the meatballs. They also lighten them and are quite undetectable by picky younger eaters once cooked. Of course, you can use your own cooked lentils here but I’ve used tinned ones for convenience. Choose Puy, brown or black lentils.

The red wine adds warmth and a subtle sweetness. I regularly add leftover wine to different sauces, gravy and marinades for a great depth of flavour. Cooking it out gets rid of the alcohol. Whiskey and brandy are also fantastic for meat marinades and sauces such as creamy mushroom sauce or peppercorn sauce. I also regularly add a splash of gin or sambuca when steaming fish. The botanicals give such a gentle mist of flavour that goes so well with salmon in particular.

Using flavoured sausages here is a great shortcut to flavour. No need to crush garlic and rifle through your herb drawer when you use Italian, garlic and herb or Mediterranean sausages. There are so many great Irish artisan sausage makers such as O’Flynns in Cork, James Whelan butchers (nationwide) or Dublin-based Higgins butchers (no relation!). I always have a few packets of Italian sausages in the freezer for Bolognese and meatballs.

I love the texture of linguine and choose it over regular spaghetti as the sauce clings to the flat surface easier. Often with spaghetti I find we are left with a pool of sauce at the end of the bowl, as it slips off each strand of pasta as it is twirled on to forks. These lentil and pork meatballs with linguine are always a firm family favourite.

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Recipe: Lentil and pork meatballs

Lilly’s Kitchen Tips:

1. Freeze any leftover wine whenever you have it. Due to its alcohol content, it doesn’t freeze solid and, instead, it freezes like a granita and is easy to scoop out with a spoon. Perfect for gravy and sauces.
2. Wet your hands when rolling any form of meatball or falafel. It ensures the mix doesn’t get sticky and gives a smooth surface.
3. Keep a little of the pasta water, as you may need it to loosen up the sauce if it reduces too much. Just keep the salt content in mind and season carefully.