donna's/leonie's pesto meatballs

Right the originality of this recipe definately belongs to Donna Hay, Simple Dinners..... It is soo good and such a quick life saving meal for any busy family.... I will post the original recipe then at the end add my alternative...

500g mince
3/4 cup store bought pesto
3 slice good bread (i use sour dough)
1/4 cup  milk
tub bocconccini
1/2 cup pitted sicilian olives
2 tubs cherry/baby roma tomatoes
2 cloves Garlic
olive oil

Soak the bread in milk and squeeze. In a bowl mix mince, minced garlic,  bread, pesto to make smooth mince mixture. (the more you mix the more elastic your balls will be... honetly its a good thing!) using a 1/4 cup measure make meatballs, place in an oven proof  pan and fry meatballs until just brown on outside, scatter around tomatoes and olives, place in oven for 15 minutes at 180c. Add scattered bocconccini to pan bake for further 10 minutes.

simply serve with crusty bread and enjoy.... sooo good!!!!

now for my variation.... I have been sick with the flu for a week or more so I have been cheating with my meal plan.... I also am a crazy busy full time working mum that has busy kids and I need solutions for yummy dinners that are quick, easy and taste GREAT! Now I love anything in the slow cooker but my hubby and boys are not as keen on the ol'stew.... so I have been playing/searching for great slow cooker recipes because this baby saves my bacon weekly!

now I made these meatballs at 6 in the morning, only they were a little different,

I mixed
500g mince
3//4 cup pesto
1 diced spanish onion
I mixed all of these then placed 1/2 jar passata sauce in base of my slow cooker, followed by meatballs, followed by rest of passata mixed with 1 tin diced tomatoes. I scattered 2 good handfull of sicillian olives over the top, set on low and OMG HEAVEN!!!!!! oh I got home at 5pm and turned it off... was so good and easy.

I served this with some Barilla pasta and freshly grated parmesan, everyone in my house was HAPPY!!!!