Penne and Meatballs

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 500g extra-lean beef mince
• 1 medium zucchini, grated (I didn't have any Zucchini, so I put canned corn in instead.)
  
• 1 small carrot, grated
• 1 small brown onion, grated
• 2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
• 800g can no added salt crushed tomatoes
• 375g dried penne pasta
• Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, to serve

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan-forced. Grease a 5cm-deep, 18cm x 20cm (base) baking dish.

2. Combine mince, zucchini, carrot, onion, mushroom and cheese in a bowl. Roll 1 tablespoon mixture into a ball. Place in prepared dish. Repeat with remaining mixture. Top with pasta sauce. Bake for 30 minutes or until meatballs are cooked through.

3. Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large saucepan of boiling, salted water, following packet directions, until tender. Drain. Divide pasta between plates. Top with meatball mixture. Sprinkle with parsley. Serve.

Savoury Carrot Pudding

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients:
750g carrots, sliced
2 large onions, sliced
2 tab melted butter
3 tab chopped parsley (we had no parsley growing, so I put a small handful of dried basil instead.)
3 eggs (I used between 6 and 8)
1 1/2 cups milk
salt
a pinch of nutmeg
a pinch of cayenne pepper

(I also put about 200-250g of canned corn in, which was nice. I think fennel would also go very well in this.)

Method:
Cook the onions and carrots in boiling salted water until softened; drain well. Toss them in the melted butter, with parsley, until well coated. Transfer to an ovenproof dish. Beat the eggs with the milk. Season with salt, cayenne pepper, and nutmeg. Pour over the carrots and onions. Bake in a moderate oven for 30-40 min, or until firm.