John This is an easy to make and very tasty pork & pasta meal that is great for any weeknight. Italian pork sausage meat is the key ingredient for this dish. I really prefer the more premium pork sausage meat to get the best flavour for this meal. Mixed with a soft bed of risoni pasta is a great combination.
The pork meatballs are initially cooked with the tomato, risoni & stock to allow the risoni to cook and soak up the wonderful flavour. It is then finished off under the grill to allow the bocconcini to melt perfectly into the dish. Garnished with basil to create a beautiful one pan meal.
The meatballs are simply made of the sausage meat. No other ingredients are added. For me, this heightens the pork flavour and I prefer to serve this meal with added vegetables or salad rather than add other ingredients into the meatballs. However make the meatballs to your preference.
For this dish you can try other cheeses to create a different finish as well as a different taste. The bocconcini is a great option as it is a more mild cheese and allows the pork flavour to shine through. Given this dish is all cooked in one pan is a bonus as the instructions are easy to follow and clean up is much easier as well.
Chicken mince is also a good combination for this meal.
| Prep Time | 20 minutes |
| Cook Time | 30 minutes |
| Servings |
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- 2 tbsp Olive Oil
- 750 g Pork Sausages meat removed from casings & rolled into small meatballs
- 2 Long Red Chilies thinly sliced
- 4 cloves Garlic crushed
- 1 1/2 cups Risoni
- 2 tbsp Basil Leaves chopped plus extra to serve
- 1/2 cup Dry White Wine
- 2 cups Chicken Stock
- 400 g Diced Tomatoes 1 can
- 200 g Bocconcini drained
Ingredients
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- Heat olive oil in a large frying pan over medium high heat.
- Cook meatballs until browned all over and cooked through. Remove from pan. Cook in batches if necessary.
- Add chili & garlic to pan and cook for about 1 minute.
- Add risoni and basil and stir to mix through and coat the risoni. Cook for about 1 minute.
- Add wine and cook for about 1 minute until almost evaporated.
- Add stock & tomatoes and stir to mix through. Cover pan, reduce heat to low and cook for about 8 minutes until liquid is absorbed by risoni. If there is still too much liquid after 8 minutes then continue cooking with the lid off to allow it to evaporate.
- Preheat grill
- With lid removed, add and arrange pork meatballs over the top of the risoni.
- Spread the bocconcini over the risoni and between the meatballs, then place under the grill for a few minutes until the bocconcini melts.
- Remove from grill and spoon onto serving plates topped with extra basil leaves.
