Pork & Olive Meatballs With Creamy Tomato Gluten Free Spaghetti

Preheat the oven to 220°C/ 200°C (fan)/ gas 7, then boil a kettle

Peel and finely dice your shallot[s]

Chop your black olives roughly

Peel and chop (or grate!) your garlic

Add your mince (remove the paper if required!) to a large bowl with the diced shallot, chopped olives, half the chopped garlic (you'll use the rest later!) and a generous pinch of salt and pepper

Mix thoroughly with clean hands, then divide the mixture into 3 per person and shape into meatballs – these are your olive meatballs

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

Once hot, add the olive meatballs and cook for 6-7 min or until browned

Meanwhile, chop your tomato[es] roughly

Dissolve your chicken stock mix, tomato paste and soft cheese in 100ml [130ml] [150ml] boiled water – this is your creamy tomato stock

Add your pasta to a pot of boiled water and bring to the boil over a high heat

Cook the pasta for 7-9 min or until cooked with a slight bite

Once cooked, drain the cooked pasta and reserve a cup of the starchy pasta water

Once the meatballs are brown, add the remaining chopped garlic, chopped tomato, dried oregano and dried basil to the pan and cook for 30 secs or until fragrant

Once fragrant, add the creamy tomato stock and bring to the boil over a high heat

Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium-high and cook, covered, for 10-12 min or until the sauce has thickened and the meatballs are cooked through (no pink meat!) – this is your olive meatball sauce

Once done, add the cooked pasta to the olive meatball sauce with half your grated Italian hard cheese (save the rest for garnish!) and give everything a good mix up – this is your olive meatballs with creamy tomato pasta

Tip: Add a splash of the reserved starchy pasta water if the pasta is looking a little dry