Feed Your Family For £5 Meatball Casserole

I know I'm probably not supposed to promote supermarkets and certain young blond chefs from Essex who campaign for healthier eating for our kids, so I'll name no names (especially as I work for a supermarket - but not this one!!) but I made this from one of their leaflets yesterday. In these times of less money I thought I'd share it with you. Everyone at home loved it.

Meatball Casserole

500g beef mince
4 loose carrots
2 loose red onions
600g tomato & basil soup
6 ready to bake petit pains

Plus items from store cupboard: olive oil, chilli powder, dried mixed herbs, salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 200C Fan 180C Gas 6.
Season 500g beef mince with salt and pepper. Mix with half a red onion peeled and grated. Add ½ tablespoon chilli powder. Shape into 20 meatballs. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a shallow flame and oven-proof casserole dish. Cook the meatballs turning frequently for 5 minutes until brown and cooked through. Remove and set aside. Peel and finely slice the remaining red onions and add to the dish. Add carrots peeled and finely sliced. Cook gently for 10 minutes covered, stirring occasionally until softened. Add meatballs to the vegetables. Stir in soup and season. Cut 6 petit pains in half lengthways and place on top of meatballs. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon dried mixed herbs. Bake in oven for 15 mins till golden and bubbling. Serve immediately.

I'm not a meat eater so don't know myself but hubby said it was lovely but could do with more meatballs (I only made 14 with that amount of mince) and more sauce so perhaps try adding more. It depends obviously on the size of your family but the one I made using the above quantities yesterday fed one hungry hubby, a ravenous teenage boy and a little girl. ENJOY.