Italian Pasta & Meatballs
Journey to Italy with a comforting bowl of fresh pasta, savory meatballs, handcrafted marinara, and Parmesan cheese. It’s simple, familiar, and exactly the kind of food that proves a few good ingredients can do a lot of work.
RECIPESFIJI CRAFTITALY
7/25/20261 min read
Journey to Italy with a comforting bowl of fresh pasta, savory meatballs, handcrafted marinara, and Parmesan cheese. It’s simple, familiar, and exactly the kind of food that proves a few good ingredients can do a lot of work.
Ingredients
For the Meatballs
Ground beef
Garlic
Onion
Egg
Breadcrumbs
Parmesan cheese
Italian seasoning
Salt
Black pepper
For the Handcrafted Marinara
Crushed tomatoes
Olive oil
Garlic
Onion
Italian seasoning or dried oregano and basil
Salt
Black pepper
Pinch of sugar, if needed
Fresh basil, optional
For the Bowl
Fresh handmade pasta from a local vendor
Grated Parmesan cheese
Fresh parsley or basil
Instructions
Combine the ground beef, garlic, onion, egg, breadcrumbs, Parmesan, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.
Form the mixture into small meatballs.
Brown the meatballs in a skillet and set aside.
To make the marinara, heat olive oil in a saucepan and sauté the onion until soft.
Add the garlic and cook briefly until fragrant.
Stir in the crushed tomatoes, herbs, salt, and pepper.
Simmer gently for 20–30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Taste and add a small pinch of sugar only if the tomatoes are especially acidic.
Return the meatballs to the sauce and let them finish cooking in the marinara.
Cook the fresh pasta according to the vendor’s directions.
Toss the pasta lightly with marinara.
Add the meatballs and spoon extra sauce over the top.
Finish with grated Parmesan and fresh parsley or basil.
Fiji Craft Flight Notes
Italian cooking is built around letting good ingredients speak for themselves. Fresh pasta, slow-simmered tomato sauce, savory meatballs, and Parmesan don’t need much explaining when they’re made well.
For this Fiji Craft flight to Italy, we used fresh handmade pasta from a local vendor, paired it with meatballs and handcrafted marinara, and finished everything with Parmesan cheese.
A little local craftsmanship, a little Italian inspiration, and a very good reason to clean your bowl.
