Green spaghetti & meatballs

• lean pork mince↗500g g
• apple↗1

  grated

• fennel seeds1 tsp tsp
• oil1 tbsp tbsp
• wholemeal spaghetti↗250g-300g g

  (for children, use white spaghetti as wholemeal can be too filling)

• baby spinach↗200g g

  plus extra to serve

• ripe avocado↗1

  stoned and peeled, plus extra to serve

• basil↗small bunch
• frozen peas↗100g g
• parmesan↗25g g

  grated, plus extra to serve

Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   Mix the mince, apple and fennel seeds in a bowl. Divide and roll into 24 cherry tomato-sized balls. Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Cook the meatballs until golden brown and cooked through. Heat a large pan of water and cook the pasta following pack instructions.

2. 2

   Meanwhile, make the sauce. Set aside a handful of spinach, 4 tbsp peas and half the avocado for later. Pour hot water over the rest of the peas to defrost them, then drain well. Whizz the defrosted peas, spinach, avocado, basil and parmesan in a blender with 100ml pasta water, adding more if needed, to make sauce. Season well.

3. 3

   Add the reserved frozen peas to the pasta for the last min of cooking. Drain, saving some of the water, and tip the pasta into the meatball pan. Add the sauce and cook for a minute or 2 until hot, adding more seasoning or pasta water if you need to. Serve a salad of spinach and avocado on the side and top the pasta with extra parmesan for adults, if you like.