I do not claim to be Italian but this Irish/Scottish Mom makes a pretty good Sunday Gravy or Sauce, however you would like to call it. It will never be as good as my childhood neighbor, Mrs. DiScipio’s Gravy. Anything she made was amazing. Once a year she would make a homemade tomato sauce from tomatoes from her garden. On Friday nights she would make pizza with that sauce. I dream about that pizza. But the whole point of this blog is to share our family recipes with my children. Because food is love.
It has taken many years but I have finally figured out the meatballs. Adding the pork mixture from the sausages to the ground beef mixture was a game changer. Whenever I made the meatballs before, you never knew how they would come out.
My kids love this recipe and it is a good staple recipe for a great Sunday Dinner.
The only real stumbling block is fear of failure. In cooking you’ve got to have a what-the-hell attitude.
-Julia Child
Spaghetti & Meatlballs with Sausages
Ingredients
- 3 lbs. 80/20 Ground Beef Can add pork or veal too
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup Bread crumbs homemade, italian style or even Gluten Free
- 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese or romano Or any combination of the two
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- 1 tbsp. Chopped parsley
- 1 15 oz Can of Tomato Paste
- 3 Cans of warm water
- 2-3 32 oz Ground Peeled Tomatoes I use Pastene
- 2 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 3 cloves Garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup Wine I use white, but red is great too
- 1 1/2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
- 1 tbsp dried basil
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 tbsp dried oregano
- 1.2 tbsp dried parsley
- Salt & Pepper to Taste
- 1 tbsp sugar
Instructions
Meatballs
- In a large bowl, break up the ground beef.
- Take one or two of the sausages that you are planning to put in to the sauce and slice the casing off. Break apart the sausage meat and add it to the ground beef mixture.
- Add the eggs, bread crumbs, cheese and parsley. Gently mix. DO NOT OVERMIX.
- I use a cookie scoop so all the meatballs are the same size, but you don't have to.
- Get a bowl of warm water to keep your hands and the scoop wet. Gently form the balls and put on a greased cookie sheet with a rack.
- Poke holes in the remaining sausage and add them to the rack also. Cook in a 350 degree oven for about 40 minutes, flipping after 20 minutes.
- ALTERNATIVE: My mother just put the meatballs and sausage directly into the sauce to cook there completely. They were always very good. It will just take longer too cook. I have also cooked the meatballs and sausages in a cast iron skillet, this works well too.
Tomato Sauce
- In a large, heavy pot, over medium heat, saute' the garlic in the olive oil.
- When the garlic becomes translucent add the wine and red pepper flakes. Cook for a few minutes.
- Add the tomato paste and three cans of warm water. I like to use a whisk here as it helps to mix the paste. When the mixture is smooth, bring to a boil, add the bay leaf and the cans of Ground Peeled Tomatoes. Add the rest of the spices and sugar. Bring to a boil and then reduce mixture to a simmer.
- When the meatballs and sausages are done, add them to the sauce and simmer for at least two hours.
- This is always better the next day.
- Serve with your favorite crusty bread and a salad.
Notes
