Pork and Onion Meatballs With Tomato Sauce

Written by
Elaine Lemm
Elaine Lemm is a renowned British food writer, classically trained chef, teacher, and author with over 25 years of experience writing about British food and cooking.
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Elaine Lemm
Updated 04/14/21
Pork and Onion Meatballs With Tomato Sauce

The Spruce / Nyssa Tanner
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 30 mins
Total: 40 mins
Servings: 4 servings
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
631 Calories
28g Fat
45g Carbs
41g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 631
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 28g 36%
Saturated Fat 8g 38%
Cholesterol 151mg 50%
Sodium 180mg 8%
Total Carbohydrate 45g 16%
Dietary Fiber 8g 30%
Protein 41g
Calcium 193mg 15%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

For a delicious midweek supper, try this lovely, quick, and oh-so-easy recipe for making tasty pork and onion meatballs. As if they aren't delicious enough on their own, the meatballs are served here with a delectable sun-dried tomato sauce. It's perfect on pasta, or in hoagie rolls for a meatball sub sandwich.

This dish makes a great lunch or can be served as a main course at dinner. Children love meatballs, and this sauce is gentle enough even for them. You can tweak the recipe by adding different herbs (basil is a good one), but use them sparingly as you do not want to overwhelm the meatballs with them. Or, for a change, try this tomato sauce.

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Ingredients

  • For the Meatballs
  • 1 pound minced pork
  • 1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
  • 25 grams/1 ounce fresh breadcrumbs (or 30 grams/2 ounces dried breadcrumbs)
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 handful flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
  • Salt, to taste
  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • For the Sun-Dried Tomato Sauce
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, crushed
  • 2 (14-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
  • 8 sun-dried tomatoes, finely sliced
  • 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
  • 1 cup red wine
  • 1 handful parsley, roughly chopped
  • Salt, to taste
  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • Optional: freshly grated parmesan cheese, to serve

Steps to Make It

Note: while there are multiple steps to this recipe, this meatball dish is broken down into workable categories to help you better plan for preparation and cooking.

Make the Meatballs

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Pork and Onion Meatballs ingredients

    The Spruce / Nyssa Tanner

  2. Mix all the ingredients—pork, onions, breadcrumbs, lightly beaten egg, cumin, chopped parsley, salt, and pepper—for the meatballs together in a bowl except for the olive oil. Mix thoroughly to ensure everything is well combined.

    Pork and Onion Meatballs mixture

    The Spruce / Nyssa Tanner

  3. Once the mixture is worked together, shape into 16 evenly-sized small balls. You will find this easier to do if you keep your hands damp with a little cold water. Try to make the meatballs as even as possible as this helps with the cooking.

    pork and onion meatballs rolled into balls on a plate

    The Spruce / Nyssa Tanner

  4. Heat the oil in a large frying pan.

    oil in a pan

    The Spruce / Nyssa Tanner

  5. Once hot, fry the meatballs until browned, turning frequently to ensure they are evenly browned.

    brown the pork and onion meatballs in a pan

    The Spruce / Nyssa Tanner

  6. Remove the meatballs from the heat, cover and leave to one side.

    pork and onion meatballs

    The Spruce / Nyssa Tanner

Make the Sauce

  1. Gather the ingredients for the sauce.

    tomato sauce ingredients

    The Spruce / Nyssa Tanner

  2. Heat the tablespoon of oil in a large pan to hot—but not burning. Add the onions, and cook gently for 7 minutes taking care not to burn.

    cook onions in a pan with oil

    The Spruce / Nyssa Tanner

  3. Add the garlic and cook for a further 3 minutes until both the garlic and the onions are translucent.

    onions and garlic cooking in a pan

    The Spruce / Nyssa Tanner

  4. Add the canned tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, paprika, wine, parsley, salt, and pepper to the onion and garlic mixture.

    tomato sauce ingredients in a pan

    The Spruce / Nyssa Tanner

  5. Bring the sauce to the boil, then reduce the heat to simmer and add the meatballs. Cook for another 20 minutes. Put the freshly grated parmesan cheese on top, if using. Serve and enjoy!

    Pork and Onion Meatballs With Tomato Sauce in a pan

    The Spruce / Nyssa Tanner

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