Steemit Iron Chef 2017 #01: Meatballs in loaded Tomato Sauce!

So the #steemit-ironchef contest 2017 has officially started with a bang! The theme this week is Tomatoes and there have already been some excellent entries. Tomatoes are the basis for so many meals from all countries the world, but my favourite recipes are italian because fresh herbs like basil are their perfect companion.

Spaghetti meatballs and tomato sauce is a classic recipe so i guess i lose points for creativity here but i was making dinner for the family so wanted something substantial that the boys would eat. The creativity here is to use whats available in your cupboards! Ive added alot more vegetables to the sauce, to get a good variety of vitamins into my growing kids diet.

Unfortunately i could only find 1 lonely tomato, so i used passata, tinned tomato, and puree aswell. The vegetables were onion, garlic, carrot, celery, red pepper and sweet potato. I cooked all the veg down first before adding tomatoes and simmering.

I love making Meatballs. These are Beef and pork mixed with crushed crackers, oregano, nutmeg, parsely, dijon mustard, chilli, eggs, salt and pepper.

To the sauce i also added chopped basil, balsamic vinegar, palm sugar, rosemary, and red wine. So a good depth and balance of sharp and sweet flavours. I used mostly wholewheat spaghetti with a bit of tagliatelle, i used some of the pasta cooking water to thin the sauce before serving.

It was really good! Not the best I've ever made but the kids plates were scraped clean, so thats good enough for me! I can't wait to see some more entries from all you incredibly talented steemit chefs. Who will be the Steemit Iron Chef 2017? Get Involved Everyone!