Ingredients:
For the sauce:
2 carrots, grated
About 100g button mushrooms, sliced
1-2 cans condensed tomato soup
1 jar Leggo's passata with Italian herbs (700g)
Half to one cup water
For the meatballs:
1 kg lean beef mince
2 eggs, beaten
5 tablespoons uncooked Basmati rice
2 teaspoons Italian herbs
2 cloves garlic, crushed or 2 teaspoons minced garlic from store bought jar
salt and pepper
Garnish: fresh basil leaves
Method:
Combine grated carrot and sliced mushrooms in the bottom of the slow cooker.
Mix together 1 can of the soup and the passata in a large jug using the water to rinse the remains from the empty can and jar. Stir together and then pour about a quarter into the slow cooker and mix with the carrot and mushroom.
Turn the slow cooker on with the high setting while you make the meatballs.
In a large bowl mix together all the meatball ingredients, then form into meatballs about the size of a golf ball or a bit larger.
Place a layer of meatballs over the vegetables and spoon a layer of the sauce over them, then add the rest of the meatballs in a second layer and cover with the remaining sauce.
Replace the lid and cook on high for about an hour, then cook a further 4-5 hours on low.
Towards the end of the cooking time carefully remove the meatballs onto a plate so that you can adjust the sauce to your liking. I added an extra can of soup at this stage as there was not enough sauce and some chopped fresh basil. Return meatballs to slow cooker and stir very gently. Garnish with fresh basil.
