Of which 8.6 g sugars and 9.5 g saturated fat.
Values are for the first option listed in the ingredients; substitutions and variations change them. Carbs exclude fiber; energy uses the EU conversion factors (fiber at 2 kcal/g). Source for sugars and saturated fat: Portuguese Food Composition Database (Base de Dados da Composição de Alimentos), Instituto Nacional de Saúde Doutor Ricardo Jorge, I. P. — INSA, v 7.1 - 2026.
Quantities and times are a starting point: adjust them to your taste. Two things don't change: poultry and ground meat must be cooked all the way through, and allergens — always check the labels.
Highlights Square-cut fresh pasta · Pallottine of 5–6 g · Sauce split into two stages
Allergens gluten, egg, milk
Spaghetti alla chitarra
Tiny meatballs in tomato, from Abruzzo
An Abruzzese recipe of square-cut fresh pasta with tiny olive-sized beef meatballs and tomato sauce. This version keeps the pallottine very small and browns them quickly before finishing them in the sauce. The pasta is store-bought fresh so all the attention goes to the scale of the meatballs and the balance between meat, tomato and pasta.
Ingredients
- 500 g (1 lb) fresh spaghetti alla chitarra
- 320 g (11½ oz) ground beef
- 45 g (1½ oz) whole egg
- 45 g (1½ oz) Parmigiano Reggiano
- 35 g (1¼ oz) breadcrumbs
- 45 g (1½ oz) whole milk
- 650 g (1½ lb) tomato passata
- 90 g (3¼ oz) onion
- 5 g garlic
- 40 g (1½ oz) extra-virgin olive oil
- 0.2 g nutmeg
- ½ g black pepper
- 3 g salt
- water and coarse salt for cooking the pasta, as needed
Method
- Mix the breadcrumbs and milk and let them soak for 5 minutes. Squeeze out only liquid that's completely loose; the moisture keeps the pallottine tender.
- In a cold bowl, combine the beef, egg, soaked bread, 25 g of the Parmigiano, the nutmeg, half the pepper and 1.5 g of the salt. Mix just until even.
The full method (10 steps), Rico's tip, the variations and storage are in the ebook “Pasta”. The English edition is coming soon.
