Meatball Pasta Bake by Cote Hill Cheese

INGREDIENTS

• 700g of your favourite Lincolnshire Sausages
• 100g Cote Hill Yellow, chopped into small chunks
• 100g Cote Hill Blue, roughly chopped
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 tsp tomato purée
• 50ml red wine
• 2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes
• 500ml passata
• 3 bay leaves
• 2 tsp golden caster sugar
• 400g pasta shapes (large penne works well
• crusty bread, to serve (optional)

METHOD

Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Remove the sausages from the skins. Divide and shape into 18 meatballs with a nugget or two of Cote Hill Yellow in the middle (any leftover can go on the top), then chill for 10 mins.

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large pan (use a flameproof casserole dish if you can – it’ll save on washing up). Add the onion and a pinch of salt and sizzle until softened (about 8 mins). Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 min more, then add the tomato purée, wine, tomatoes, passata, bay leaves, sugar, and lots of seasoning, then cover with a lid and simmer for 20 mins. Meanwhile, arrange the meatballs on a baking tray lined with foil, drizzle with the remaining oil and bake for 10 mins.

Cook the pasta in a pan of boiling salted water according to packet instructions, then drain, reserving some water. If the pan isn’t ovenproof, tip the sauce into a casserole dish. Stir the pasta into the sauce, along with the liquid from the meatballs and some pasta water if it needs thinning. Turn the grill to a medium-high setting.

Nestle the meatballs into the pasta, so that they poke out the top. Scatter the Cote Hill Blue and any remaining Cote Hill Yellow over the top and grill for 5-10 mins until the cheese and meatballs are golden. Serve with a salad and some delicious sourdough to mop up the juices