Spaghetti & Meatball Nests

Step 1: Preheat oven to hot, 200°C and lightly grease eight, 1 cup Texas muffin pan recesses.

Step 2: In a large saucepan of boiling, salted water, cook spaghetti following packet instructions, until al dente and drain well and return to pan.

Step 3: Meanwhile, in a large frying pan, heat half oil on medium and saute onion and garlic 4-5 minutes, until onion is tender and then spoon half into a large bowl and set aside to cool.

Step 4: Stir puree, half tomato paste and vinegar into onion in pan and bring to boil and simmer 2 minutes and season.

Step 5: Add mince, breadcrumbs, basil, 1 egg and remaining tomato paste to cooled onion mixture and season and mix well and shape level tablespoons of mixture into balls (you will need 24 balls in total).

Step 6: In a jug, whisk remaining eggs with parmesan and add to pasta and season and mix well and then divide pasta mixture among muffin holes, shaping into nests with indent in centre.

Step 7: Spoon 1 tablespoon tomato sauce into each nest and push 3 meatballs into each and spoon over remaining sauce and sprinkle with extra parmesan.

Step 8: Bake 20-25 minutes until golden brown around edges and then cool in pan 2 minutes, then loosen edges with a small sharp knife to remove and top with extra basil and serve with salad.

Step 9: NOTE CHEATS VERSION - This is a great way to use up leftover cooked spaghetti. For a cheats version use a 500 gram packet of ready-made meatballs and 1 ½ cups of store bough tomato based pasta sauce.