Pork & Basil Meatballs With Tomato Sauce & Sweet Potato Mash

Boil a full kettle

Peel and finely dice half your red onion[s], then slice the remaining onion finely

Peel and finely chop (or grate) your garlic

Chop your basil finely, including the stalks

Add your mince to a bowl with the diced onion, half of the chopped garlic and half of the chopped basil (you'll use the rest later!) with a generous pinch of salt and pepper

Give everything a good mix up, then divide your mince and shape them into meatballs (4 per person!) – these are your basil meatballs

Heat a large, wide-based pan (preferably non-stick) over a high heat with a drizzle of olive oil

Once hot, add the basil meatballs to the pan and cook for 2-3 min on each side or until browned

Once the meatballs have browned, transfer them to a plate and set aside, these will finish cooking in the sauce later (reserve the pan!)

(Doubled your protein? Use 2 pans!)

Return the reserved pan to a medium-high heat with a drizzle of olive oil, add the sliced onion with a pinch of salt and 1 tsp [1 1/2 tsp] [2 tsp] sugar and cook for 4-5 min or until starting to caramelise

Once caramelised, add the remaining chopped garlic with your tomato paste and cook for 2 min or until fragrant

Once fragrant, add your chopped tomatoes and chicken stock mix and return the browned meatballs to the pan and cook for 12-15 min or until cooked through (no pink meat!) – this is your pork & basil meatballs with tomato sauce

Peel your Italian hard cheese until you end up with a pile of cheese shavings

Chop your potatoes (skins on) into large, bite-sized pieces

Add the chopped potatoes to a pot with plenty of boiled water and bring to the boil over a high heat

Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium-high and cook for an initial 6-8 min

Trim your green beans

After the potatoes have had an initial 6-8 min, add the trimmed beans to a sieve and set it over the pot

Cover with a lid and cook for a final 7-8 min, or until the green beans are tender with a bite and the potatoes are fork-tender

Once the potatoes are fork tender, set aside the green beans and drain the potatoes

Return the drained potatoes to the pot with a splash of milk, a knob of butter and a pinch of salt and pepper, then mash