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Mean feat no-meat meatballs

Baked with tomatoes, basil and lemon ricotta

The balls nestle into the cherry tomato sauce and dollops of cool, lemony ricotta fill the gaps. The tops of the balls crisp up as they bake, while their hidden bottoms stay soft. Delicious. You could swap the ricotta for torn-up mozzarella or even bits of feta. Keep the lemon zest though – it really lifts the dish. This is a real crowd-pleaser and I’m sure you’re going to end up making it loads …

Serves 2

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1 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for greasing

½ onion, peeled and finely diced

1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed or finely grated

½ tsp chilli flakes

2 tbsp tomato purée

1 x 400g tin cherry tomatoes in tomato juice

1 small handful of basil leaves, plus a few extra, to serve

½ tsp sugar

6–10 uncooked Mean Feat No Meat Meatballs, depending on how hungry you are

6 tbsp ricotta

1 lemon, zested

flaked sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

a few slices of quality bread, to serve

crisp green salad, to serve

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas mark 4.

Heat the oil in a saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook for 5–7 minutes, or until translucent. Add the chilli flakes and the tomato purée and cook for a further 1–2 minutes. Add the tinned tomatoes, handful of basil leaves and sugar and season well with flaked sea salt and black pepper. Bring to the boil, then turn the heat down to low and simmer for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, grease the base of a baking dish with a little olive oil and sit the balls in, evenly spaced. Stick in the hot oven for 20 minutes while the sauce cooks.

After the sauce has been cooking for 15 minutes, check the seasoning then remove the baking dish from the oven and pour the sauce over and around the balls. Mix the ricotta with the lemon zest and spoon little teaspoonfuls of lemony ricotta into the spaces between the balls. Drizzle the whole lot with a little olive oil and stick it back in the oven for another 20 minutes.

Remove from the oven, top with the remaining basil leaves and serve with crusty bread/garlicky toasts or a crisp green salad. Or both.