Spanish-style meatballs bake
This colourful oven dish is a creation inspired by the warm tones and rich flavours of Spain. The combination of orange, bell pepper, tomato, and spices creates a unique dish with a touch of sweet, savoury, and spicy. It’s not a traditional Spanish dish, but an homage to the colours and tastes reminiscent of sunny squares and fragrant markets in Spain.
Serves: 4
Preparation: 20 minutes
Cooking: 55 minutes
Total time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Ingredients
For the meatballs
- 500 g minced beef
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- Freshly ground pepper and salt
For the oven dish
- 3 oranges
- 2 red bell peppers
- 2 yellow bell peppers
- 4 large tomatoes
- 4 sun-dried tomatoes
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 2 star anise
- 2 teaspoons fennel seeds
- 2 teaspoons hot paprika powder
- Bunch of fresh parsley
- Dash of olive oil
- Freshly ground pepper and salt
Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 180°C.
- Place the minced meat in a bowl, beat the egg and mix with the meat.
- Add onion powder, pepper, and salt, and mix well.
- Form small meatballs and set aside.
- Slice the oranges thinly.
- Cut the bell peppers into strips, tomatoes into chunks, and sun-dried tomatoes into thin strips.
- Finely chop the parsley for garnish.
Method
- Place the orange slices on the bottom of a large oven dish.
- Add the bell peppers, tomatoes, and sun-dried tomatoes and toss together.
- Add cinnamon sticks and star anise, then sprinkle with fennel seeds, paprika, pepper, and salt.
- Distribute the meatballs over the dish, pressing lightly into the vegetables.
- Drizzle with olive oil and bake for 50–55 minutes until done and fragrant.
- Sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately, optionally with bread or salad.
