Put all of the ingredients into a bowl and mix thoroughly. I'm making a tomato sauce so any herb or spice can be used. You can also change the meat - try pork mince with a touch of cinnamon and 2 tablespoons of apple sauce or lamb mince with 1 tablespoon of ketchup and 1 tablespoon mint jelly.

Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper and evenly space the meatballs. As they cook the fat will run off the paper to the tray underneath and the balls will not sit in fat

Now add the tomatoes and bring it up to a fast simmer over a low heat - stir regularly and add water in to stop the sauce thickening too much and also to stop it from burning

Add all of the seasonings - salt, pepper, sugar, herbs/spices and stir in. Allow the sauce a few minutes to simmer then add the wine if you're using it, otherwise keep simmering and adding the water for another 10 minutes

At this point you have a basic tomato sauce, I'm going to blend mine into a puree, but you can leave it chunky and add in thick cut vegetables during the simmering time such as courgette and red pepper. Or if you like just a nice rustic sauce to serve with your pasta then whilst cooking the onion add chunks of chorizo and lardons (chunks of bacon) then vegetables at the simmering stage

Drain your cooked pasta and either pour in the sauce and set it over a low heat to allow the pasta to absorb the liquids from the sauce and add the meatballs whilst stirring gently to ensure there is no sticking or pile up your pasta, arrange your meatballs and pour over the sauce