Nigella Lawson’s black pudding meatballs mix minced beef with crumbled black pudding, herbs and a little chilli, then simmer them in a deep tomato and Worcestershire sauce. The black pudding makes them richer and more savoury than a plain beef meatball. It serves four to six and takes about an hour and a quarter start to finish.
The recipe is from Cook, Eat, Repeat, as seen on her BBC Two series, and the black pudding is the whole idea. Crumbled straight into the mince, it brings an iron-rich, almost gamey depth you can’t get any other way. She also binds the mix with porridge oats rather than breadcrumbs, and swills the tomato tins out with water so nothing’s wasted.
The one thing that keeps the meatballs tender is a light hand. Nigella tears off walnut-sized lumps and rolls them gently, then eases them into the sauce rather than frying first. Pack the mixture too tightly or brown them hard and they turn dense and bouncy instead of soft. The sauce does the cooking.
Nigella Lawson’s Black Pudding Meatballs
Course: DinnerCuisine: BritishDifficulty: Easy4-6
servings25
minutes45
minutes480
kcal1
hour15
minutesFrom Cook, Eat, Repeat, as seen on her BBC Two series. Beef-and-black-pudding meatballs poached in an intense tomato sauce, bound with oats and made for a generous, make-ahead supper.
Ingredients
- For the tomato sauce:
400ml cold water
2 onions (approx. 300g)
45g beef dripping, or 3 x 15ml tbsp olive oil
2 fat cloves of garlic
3 x 15ml tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 tsp dried thyme
2 x 400g tins of chopped tomatoes
1 x 15ml tbsp tomato purée
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce (gluten-free if necessary)
2 tsp sea salt flakes (or 1 tsp fine sea salt)
- For the meatballs:
500g minced beef (not low fat)
250g black pudding (gluten-free if necessary)
2 fat cloves of garlic
3 x 15ml tbsp finely chopped parsley, plus more to serve
2 x 15ml tbsp finely chopped chives, plus more to serve
1 tsp dried thyme
2 tsp sea salt flakes (or 1 tsp fine sea salt)
a very good grinding of pepper
¼ tsp dried chilli flakes
2 x 15ml tbsp porridge oats (not jumbo, gluten-free if necessary)
2 large eggs, at room temperature
Directions
- Take the chill off: Take the minced beef and black pudding out of the fridge so they lose their chill while you make the sauce. Pour 400ml of cold water into a measuring jug and keep it by the stove.
- Start the sauce: Peel and roughly chop the onions. Melt the dripping or warm the oil in a large heavy-based casserole (Nigella uses one 26cm across), then add the onion and cook over medium heat, stirring now and then, for about 15 minutes until softened and golden in parts.
- Build the sauce: Stir in the thyme and chopped parsley, and mince or grate in the garlic. Add the tomatoes, swilling out the empty tins with the jug of water before pouring it in. Stir in the tomato purée, Worcestershire sauce and salt, bring to the boil, then simmer for 10 minutes.
- Mix the meatballs: Loosen the mince into a large bowl and crumble in the black pudding by hand. Mince or grate in the garlic, then add the parsley, chives, thyme, salt, pepper and chilli flakes. Sprinkle over the oats, crack in the eggs, and mix together with your hands until evenly combined.
- Roll: Tear off walnut-sized lumps and roll them between your palms, setting them on a large baking sheet or board as you go. You should get about 40.
- Poach in the sauce: Drop the meatballs into the sauce in concentric circles, easing them in gently so they’re mostly covered. Bring to a bubble, clamp on the lid, turn the heat down a little, and simmer robustly for 15 minutes.
- Finish: Take off the lid, stir very gently, then simmer uncovered for another 15 minutes until the meatballs are cooked through and the sauce is intense. Check the seasoning and leave off the heat for 5-10 minutes. Scatter with chopped chives and parsley, and serve with bread and butter or colcannon.
FAQs
What does the black pudding actually add?
It brings a deep, iron-rich, savoury flavour and keeps the meatballs moist, since black pudding carries fat and oats of its own. Think of it as seasoning the beef from the inside rather than a separate ingredient you can taste on its own. Use a good, firm black pudding and crumble it in evenly so no one bite is all pudding.
Why bind with porridge oats instead of breadcrumbs?
The oats soak up juices and hold the meatballs together while keeping them tender, and they make the recipe easy to do gluten-free. Nigella specifies porridge oats, not jumbo, because the smaller flakes disappear into the mix rather than leaving a chewy texture. Breadcrumbs work in a pinch, but the oats are part of what makes these hers.
Why poach the meatballs in the sauce instead of frying them?
Simmering them straight in the tomato sauce keeps them soft and lets them soak up flavour as they cook, rather than forming a hard fried crust. It also means one pan and no spitting fat. Easing them in gently and not stirring too soon stops them breaking up before they’ve set.
Can I make black pudding meatballs ahead or freeze them?
Yes, and Nigella gives full instructions. The sauce can be made up to 3 days ahead and chilled or frozen, and you can shape the meatballs a day ahead, keeping them covered in the fridge. Cooked meatballs in sauce freeze for up to 3 months; defrost overnight in the fridge and reheat gently until piping hot.
What should I serve with them?
Nigella suggests bread and butter or a buttery bowl of colcannon to soak up that intense sauce. Creamy mash or a pile of her creamy mashed potatoes does the same job, and plain pasta works if you’d rather. Keep the side simple and starchy, since the meatballs and sauce are doing all the heavy lifting.
How do I stop the meatballs falling apart?
The eggs and oats are the glue, so don’t skip either, and mix the meatball ingredients thoroughly so they bind. Once they’re in the sauce, leave them be for the first 15 minutes and only stir very gently after that. Rough stirring early on, before they’ve firmed up, is what breaks them.
