Red Sauce and Meatballs
This Red Sauce and Meatball recipe is the perfect Sunday dinner, just like Grandma used to make!
Servings: 6 people
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 lb ground pork
- 1/2 cup parsley, plus more for garnish chopped fine
- 1/3 cup bread crumbs
- 1 egg
- 4 cloves garlic minced fine, divided
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese grated
- 1 cup onion finely chopped, divided
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 28oz can crushed tomatoes
- 1 14oz can diced tomatoes
- 3-4 fresh basil leaves chopped fine
- 2 cups water
- 6 oz tomato paste
- Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
- 16 oz spaghetti noodles
Instructions
- Meatballs: In a large bowl, mix ground beef, ground pork, parsley, breadcrumbs, egg, 2 tbsp chopped garlic, Parmesan cheese, and 1/2 cup finely chopped onion. Add salt and pepper to taste. Mix and form into 1 inch balls. Do not over mix.
- Sauce: Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven or large sauce pan over medium heat. Saute onion until golden brown. Add garlic and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add remaining ingredients and mix. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium low to simmer.
- Gently add meatballs to the sauce one at a time, spacing them apart as much as possible to assist cooking. Using a wooden spoon, press the meatballs into the sauce.
- Simmer for 30-35 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent the sauce from burning and to reposition the meatballs.
- Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to boil. Cook the noodles according to the package. Drain.
- Serve sauce and meatballs over noodles. Garnish with finely chopped parsley.
Notes
Meatballs can be made in advance, baked for 15-20 minutes at 400 degrees, and frozen for up to 3 months. Add to the sauce during assembly to thaw and heat through.