“That’s a spicy meat-a-ball” is a great line from the movie “Mask”. Well, okay it isn’t all that spicy – but it is a delicious recipe that I once again found on my favorite recipe site allrecipes. I followed the recipe almost exactly. I added more garlic than it called for, doubled the recipe and reduced the salt by half. Here is my doubled, adapted recipe. Enjoy.
After a day like today I needed comfort and this fit the ticket. My van was repaired to a tune of $628 dollars (and excluded the expense of 600 dollars for a new window motor and 160 for something with the throttle..– maybe next time) Then, I have been battling the evil and vengeful garage door which now has completely given up the ghost. My husband just booked 3 weeks of travel for the month of September and I am having a bit of a pity party.. and oh yeah, I forgot: yesterday my bread machine broke too… now going back to the kitchen for more comfort food! (This is not a good diet week)
Italian Spaghetti Sauce with Meatballs – adapted from allrecipes
Serves 10
Meatballs:
- 2 lbs lean ground beef
- 2 cups bread crumbs (about 4 slices of white bread, processed)
- 2 Tbsp dried parsley
- 2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 2 eggs, beaten
Sauce:
- 1 1/2 cups onions, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 12 large cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 6 (14.5 oz) cans whole tomatoes, peeled
- 2 (14.5 oz) cans diced seasoned tomatoes (with oregano or basil is nice)
- 2 tsp salt (originally double that – you can always add if you wish, but it’s hard to take out)
- 2 tsp sugar
- 2 bay leaves
- 6 oz can tomato paste
- 1 1/2 tsp dried basil
- 1 tsp black pepper
Directions:
For the Meatballs: Combine the breadcrumbs, parsley, cheese, pepper, garlic powder and stir to combine. Add in the ground beef and eggs and combine (with clean hands works best). Form them into 24-36 meatballs depending on the size you want. After you formed them cover and refrigerate them until later.
For the Sauce: Heat a large sauce pan and add the olive oil. Add the chopped onions and saute them until they are softened. Add the chopped garlic and cook for 2 more minutes until the garlic is fragrant. Add in the tomatoes, salt, and sugar and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cook for at least 90 minutes. Use an immersion blender to blend the tomatoes if you don’t like it very chunky – ( An immersion blender it is a really good investment if you don’t have one – I use mine more than a blender plus I don’t have to remove the sauce from the pot and then pour it back. You can find them in most stores for around 30 dollars and up).
After you blended it add the bay leaves, tomato paste, dried basil and pepper and stir to combine. Making sure the tomato paste dissolves into the sauce. Add in the meatballs and cook for 30 minutes longer. Take a meatball out and cut into it to see if it is still pink on the inside. If it is cook the sauce a little longer.
Serve over your favorite pasta and sprinkle with shredded Parmesan cheese.
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