Cream Pasta with Meatballs

Name: Cream Pasta with Meatballs
Total time: 3600 s
Yield: 5 servings
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 500 g pack of linguine pasta; Pot of water; Plenty of salt; 500 g minced meat, blood rinsed out; 100 ml milk; 1/2 cup breadcrumbs; 1/2 cup parmesan; 3 cloves minced garlic; (optional) 1/4 cup onions; 1 egg; 1/2 tsp dried oregano; Optional: 1/4 cup fresh parsley or 2 tbsp dried parsley; Salt & pepper; Olive oil; 5 or more cloves of minced garlic; Equal amount of minced onions (optional); Some salted butter (about 1/4 cup); cube Chicken stock; 1 tub cream cheese, softened at room temperature; 1 tub cream (250/300ml or so); Milk; 2-3 dried bay leaves; oregano; Italian seasoning; Tiny pinch of nutmeg (opt); dried basil (opt); Garlic powder (opt); Handful parmesan; Pasta water; to taste Salt

Lydia Sahrom @lydiasahrom

Just putting this here for keepsakes. For one of those days when you're into something indulgent. Basic cream pasta recipe will usually suffice with just garlic, milk and butter, but I prefer to go all out with cream cheese and cream. I'm never really sure about exact measurements, I just play by ear for this one.
Optional variations: saute a punnet of chopped portobello/Swiss brown mushrooms together with the garlic and onions to add to the sauce. Or if you're feeling lazy about making meatballs, just saute some minced meat and incorporate it into the sauce.

Lydia Sahrom @lydiasahrom

Saved

Ingredients

1hr

5 servings

Pasta
500 gpack of linguine pasta
Pot of water
Plenty of salt
Meatballs
500 gminced meat, blood rinsed out
100 mlmilk
1/2 cupbreadcrumbs
1/2 cupparmesan
3 clovesminced garlic
(optional) 1/4 cup onions
1egg
1/2 tspdried oregano
Optional: 1/4 cup fresh parsley or 2 tbsp dried parsley
Salt & pepper
Olive oil
Cream sauce
5or more cloves of minced garlic
Equal amount of minced onions (optional)
Some salted butter (about 1/4 cup)
cubeChicken stock
1 tubcream cheese, softened at room temperature
1 tubcream (250/300ml or so)
Milk
2-3dried bay leaves
oregano
Italian seasoning
Tiny pinch of nutmeg (opt)
dried basil (opt)
Garlic powder (opt)
Handfulparmesan
Pasta water
to tasteSalt

Saved

Steps

1hr

1

Pasta: Bring a pot of water to a boil. Season with a handful of salt (it should be salty as the Mediterranean Sea, as they say). Boil the pasta as per package instructions (10min or so?). Reserve some pasta water for the sauce, about a cup. Drain pasta in a colander and add olive oil or butter to prevent clumping.
2

Meatballs: soak breadcrumbs in milk. Beat eggs with salt, pepper and herbs. Mix together with minced meat, breadcrumb mixture and the rest of the ingredients. Form into balls and cook in a wide frying pan with olive oil till nicely charred, flipping as needed.
3

Cream sauce: Saute the minced garlic and onion in a pat of butter (about 2 tbsp). Add chicken stock cube. At this point, if you wish to add mushrooms or minced meat (if forgoing meatballs) you can do so now.
4

Add the cream and some milk. Keep the heat at a simmer and not a boil. Gradually whisk in the cream cheese. Add bay leaves and other herbs. Constantly stirring.
5

Add another pat of butter, some parmesan and pasta water for salt and texture, milk to neutralise the saltiness or increase the volume of the cream sauce. Salt to taste. This is where you play by ear in how creamy or salty you want your sauce to be.
6

Serve pasta with a ladle full of cream sauce coating the linguine, 2-3 meatballs a plate, add a sprinkle of parsley if you're feeling fancy. Store leftovers in fridge and heat up with a little milk each time.