Meatball Medley

But the family has to be fed. What could be more appealing than a one-dish dinner that requires minimal prep work and doesn’t entail washing a lot of dishes — and is ready to serve in an under an hour?

SERVES 6

Meatball Mixture

• 2 lbs (910 g) ground beef
• ½ cup bread crumbs
• 2 eggs
• 3 cubes frozen parsley
• 3 cubes frozen garlic
• 3 cubes frozen basil
• 2 tsp salt
• ½ tsp red pepper flakes
• ¼ tsp ground black pepper

Vegetable and Gnocchi Base

• 4 cups cherry tomatoes
• 2 cups fresh or frozen green peas
• 1 16-oz (450 g) pkg mini gnocchi
  (I used Tuscanini)
• ¼ cup oil
• 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 2 Tbsp honey
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 cup baby spinach leaves
• zest of 1 lemon

Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C).

In a large mixing bowl, combine all meatball ingredients.

In a large ovenproof baking dish, combine tomatoes, peas, and gnocchi and toss with oil, vinegar, honey, salt, and pepper.

Form meat mixture into small balls and nestle all around the vegetables.