Lamb meatball, red pepper and feta rigatoni bake
Serves: 4
Prep time: 35 minsTotal time: 
Recipe photograph by Stuart West
Lamb meatball, red pepper and feta rigatoni bake
Packed with all the sunshine flavours of the Mediterranean, this is a good pasta bake for a balmy summer evening. Pork or beef mince would also work well in place of lamb, if that’s what you prefer
Serves: 4
Prep time: 35 minsTotal time: 
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Nutritional information (per serving)
Calories
892Kcal
Fat
38gr
Saturates
17gr
Carbs
87gr
Sugars
17gr
Fibre
8gr
Protein
48gr
Salt
1.9gr
Esther Clark
Esther is a food writer and stylist based in London. Prior to becoming a writer, she worked as a chef on a farm in rural Tuscany before eating her way around the rest of Italy. At home she doodles little food illustrations and loves to eat crispy roast chicken, sandwiches stuffed with pickles and scoops of creamy pistachio gelato.
See more of Esther Clark’s recipes
Esther Clark
Esther is a food writer and stylist based in London. Prior to becoming a writer, she worked as a chef on a farm in rural Tuscany before eating her way around the rest of Italy. At home she doodles little food illustrations and loves to eat crispy roast chicken, sandwiches stuffed with pickles and scoops of creamy pistachio gelato.
See more of Esther Clark’s recipes
Ingredients
- 500g lamb mince (10% fat)
- 100g fresh white breadcrumbs
- pinch chilli flakes
- 1 medium egg yolk
- 1 tbsp olive oil, to fry
For the bake
- 3 red peppers (or see tip)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes
- 2 tbsp mascarpone or double cream
- 300g rigatoni or any other dried pasta
- 200g feta, crumbled
- handful of basil leaves
Step by step
Get ahead
Prepare to the end of step 5 up to 2 days ahead; cover and chill. Bake for about 30 minutes from chilled, or until both the sauce and meatballs are piping hot.
- In a large mixing bowl add the lamb mince, 70g of the breadcrumbs, the chilli flakes, egg yolk and some salt. Squish everything together with your hands for 5 minutes then form into 8 large meatballs. Chill, covered, until needed.
-
Preheat the grill to its highest setting. Place the whole peppers on a foil-lined baking sheet and grill for 15-20 minutes, turning halfway, until well-blackened. Transfer to a bowl, cover and set aside until cool enough to handle.TipIf you’re short on time, use 350g roasted red peppers from a jar in step 3, instead of charring your own.
- Heat the oil in a large saucepan or casserole. Add the onion and fry over a medium-low heat with a pinch of salt for 8-10 minutes or until softened and translucent. Add the garlic and fry for 1 minute. Stir through the tinned tomatoes and cook uncovered for 10 minutes. Peel the charred skins off the peppers and discard the seeds. Roughly chop the pepper flesh, add to the sauce then blitz everything with a stick blender until smooth. Add the mascarpone or cream and season to taste. Keep on a low heat.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large non-stick frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the meatballs and fry for 5 minutes, turning regularly with tongs until evenly golden brown. Add to the sauce and simmer for 5 minutes, covered.
- Preheat the oven to 220°C, fan 200°C, gas 8. Cook the pasta in salted boiling water for 2 minutes less than the pack instructions, then drain. Toss the pasta with the sauce and meatballs and half of the feta. Tip everything into a large ovenproof dish, scatter over the remaining feta and breadcrumbs.
- Bake for 15 minutes or until piping hot. Scatter over the basil leaves. Serve with a punchy salad.
