This delicious Spicy Meatball Pasta is a perfect weekday meal made with juicy meatballs cooked in a creamy white wine sauce. It is very easy to make, full of flavour, and you can prepare it in advance for a lazy Sunday lunch or a delicious dinner that would please everyone.
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If you are bored of the usual tomato-based meatball pasta dishes and looking for something hearty, try this spicy, creamy, and cheesy pasta with meatballs recipe.
Ingredients & Substitutes
For the meatball:
- Minced beef - Try and use mince with a minimum of 15% fat for extra flavour. Mince with a high-fat ratio is the key to soft and juicy meatballs. Minced lamb or pork would also work perfectly with this recipe.
- Onions - They add umami flavour and sweetness to the meatballs. Use a grater or chop them very finely with a knife. You can use yellow, white, brown or red onions.
- Egg - It is necessary to bind the meat with the rest of the ingredients.
- Parsley - Finely chopped flat-leaf or curly parsley brightens the flavour of the meatballs. You can use half amount of dried parsley if you don't have fresh ones.
- Spices - Adjust the amount of seasoning and spices to your taste. Add any spices you like such as cayenne, cumin or paprika.
For the sauce:
- Olive oil - You can replace it with butter or vegetable oil.
- Onions - Use sliced or diced white, brown or yellow onions or even shallots work great with the sauce.
- Turkish green peppers- They are one of my favourite peppers I use for cooking, especially in my Turkish recipes. They are usually mild but some of them can be quite hot. Always check the spiciness before using them in your dishes. You can replace them with bell pepper or Spanish Padron peppers. Simply wash and then finely slice them before adding them to the sauce.
- Red pepper - Use a sweet type of red pepper such as romano peppers or bell peppers. Wash and slice the same size as green peppers.
- Mushrooms - Use any type of mushroom you can find. Wild mushrooms such as chanterelles or morels work great with this creamy sauce.
- Red chilli & spices - Skip red chilli if you don't like spicy. You can use flaked chillies instead of fresh ones. Adjust the spices and salt to your taste.
- White wine - Skip the wine if you want to make this pasta dish for your kids.
- Double cream - It is very similar to heavy cream. You can substitute it with whipping cream or milk and butter.
- Parmesan Cheese - No pasta is complete without parmesan cheese. Use a good quality block cheese and try to avoid already grated versions. Some of the best substitutes for parmesan are Grana Padano, Pecorino or Manchego cheeses.
- Cheddar Cheese - It is optional, you can use any other cheese of your choices such as stilton, feta or mozzarella.
- Thyme - Adds flavour and depth to the sauce. You can replace it with basil, rosemary, tarragon or sage.
- Pasta - Penne or any other tubular type of pasta works perfectly with this creamy sauce.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Although this is a very easy recipe to make, you need to follow a few simple tips and steps to achieve the best results:
Prepare the Meatballs
Place minced beef, grated onions, egg, salt, freshly ground black pepper, coriander powder, chilli, and chopped parsley in a large bowl. Use minced beef with a minimum of %15 fat for juicy and tasty meatballs. Mix to combine and then knead for a few minutes. Take a small amount from the mixture and then turn it into a bite-size meatball. Place them on a plate. Repeat until you run out of the mixture.
Place a large pan or a wok on high heat and then heat some vegetable oil. Add half of the meatballs and then nicely sear all sides until brown. Make sure the oil is hot enough before adding the meatballs. We only want to give some colour to the meatballs, not to cook them. Remove them to a plate and then repeat with the rest of the meatballs.
Prepare the Sauce
When you finish browning the meatballs, add chopped onions to the pan. Nicely brown the onions for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the sliced peppers and then saute them for a few minutes before adding the sliced mushrooms.
Saute the mushrooms until soft and then add the chilli, salt, black pepper, nutmeg, and white wine. Let the white wine reduce totally and then add the double cream. Let the sauce bubble up for a few minutes before adding the browned meatballs. Cook for 8-10 minutes until the meatballs are thoroughly cooked. Start cooking your pasta in boiling water meanwhile.
Cook the Pasta and Combine
While preparing the sauce, put some water to boil for pasta. While the meatballs are cooking in the sauce, start cooking your choice of pasta in boiling water. Make sure to follow the instructions on the packaging. Add grated cheese to the sauce before adding the cooked pasta and then add the chopped herbs. Give it a good stir, check the seasoning and then garnish with some parmesan shavings.
Related Recipes
For more delicious pasta recipes why not try:
Yes, you can reheat the meatballs and pasta in a microwave oven. Make sure you set the microwave to medium heat for heating the meatballs gently. Alternatively, you can reheat it in an oven. Cover the pasta with tin foil or lid and reheat for 1o to 15 minutes or until the meatballs are thoroughly hot.
Although I prefer to use tube-type pasta for this dish to let the sauce sneak in, you can choose any type of your favourite pasta. If you prefer flat-rybon type pasta, you can use Fettuccine, Linguine, Tagliatelle, and Pappardelle.
This creamy and cheesy dish goes well with a nice bowl of salad. Try it with Rocket and Parmesan Salad, Tomato and Walnut Salad, or some lovely refreshing Greek Salad.
Top Tip From the Chef
Cook your pasta in plenty of salted boiling water for the best results. Don't add any oil to pasta water as it prevents the sauce from sticking to the pasta and also delays boiling the pasta water.
I hope you enjoy the process of making this delicious Meatball Pasta as much as you enjoy eating it! 🙂
Bon appétit! / Afiyet Olsun!
Spicy Meatball Pasta
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Meatballs
- 400 g minced beef (minimum of %15 fat for soft and juicy meatballs)
- 1 medium onion (grated)
- 1 small egg
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon coriander powder
- ½ teaspoon chili flakes or powder
- ¼ cup chopped parsley
- 2-3 tablespoon vegetable oil for frying
For the Creamy Sauce
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 medium onions (thinly sliced or finely chopped)
- 2 Turkish green peppers (or 1 green bell pepper or 3-4 padron peppers)
- ½ red pepper
- 250 g button or chestnut mushrooms (use wild mushrooms for a deeper and stronger taste)
- 1 red chili (finely chopped)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ cup white wine (120 ml)
- ⅞ cup double cream (200 ml)
- 100 g grated parmesan
- 50 g grated cheddar
- ¼ cup chopped parsley
- few sprigs fresh thyme (finely chopped)
- 400 g penne pasta (or any of your favourite)
- parmesan shavings (to garnish)
Instructions
Making the meatballs
- Place minced beef, grated onions, egg, salt, freshly ground black pepper, coriander powder, chili, and chopped parsley in a large bowl.
- Mix until nicely combined and knead for a few minutes.
- Take a small amount from the mixture and turn it into a bite-size meatball. Place on a plate. Repeat until you finish the mixture.
- Place a large pan or a wok on high heat and heat some vegetable oil.
- Add half of the meatballs and nicely sear all sides until brown. Remove to a plate and repeat with the rest of the meatballs.
- Add grated cheese to the sauce before adding the cooked pasta and then add the chopped herbs.
- Give it a good stir, check the seasoning and garnish with some parmesan shavings.
Preparing the creamy sauce
- When you finish browning the meatballs, add chopped onions to the pan.
- Nicely brown the onions for a few minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the sliced peppers and saute for a few minutes before adding the sliced mushrooms.
- Saute the mushrooms until soft and then add the chili, salt, black pepper, nutmeg, and white wine.
- Let the white wine reduce totally and then add the double cream.
- Let the sauce bubble up for a few minutes before adding the browned meatballs.
- Cook for 8-10 minutes until the meatballs are thoroughly cooked. Start cooking your pasta in boiling water in meanwhile.
Cook the pasta and combine with the sauce
- While the meatballs are cooking in the sauce, start cooking your choice of pasta in boiling water. Make sure to follow the instructions on the packaging.
- Add grated cheese to the sauce before adding the cooked pasta and then add the chopped herbs.
- Give it a good stir, check the seasoning and garnish with some parmesan shavings.
Video
Nutrition
FOOD SAFETY
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
- Don’t leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
See more guidelines at USDA.gov.
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Did you make this recipe?
Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and tag @cookingorgeous on Instagram and hashtag it #cookingorgeous.
Janet
Super delicious, great flavour combo.
Semira
The meatballs are flavoursome and the sauce is to die for! A new favourite in the household.