Italian Sauce with Sausage and Meatballs

Makes 12 meatballs

• One pound ground meatball mix (beef, pork, and veal)
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs
• 3-4 cloves of garlic minced
• 1/4 cup Parmesan or Romano cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• a handful of chopped fresh parsley

Directions

Place all of the ingredients into a medium-sized bowl. Using your hands, mix the ingredients until combined. Don't over mix. The meatballs will be tough. Divide the mixture into twelve equal parts and roll into balls with your hands. You can either use the meatballs to make the sauce right away or freeze them for later use.

Italian Meat Sauce with Sausage and Meatballs

Printer Friendly Recipe

Serves 6-8

• one tablespoon olive oil
• 3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
• one 6 ounce can of tomato paste
• 3 28-ounce cans crushed tomatoes
• 1-15 ounce can tomato sauce
• 1-2 cups of water, as needed
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar, to cut the acidity
• 1 tablespoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper, or to taste
• a heaping tablespoon, or two, of Parmesan cheese
• a handful of fresh chopped parsley
• one pound Italian sausage links
• 16 Italian meatballs

Directions

Heat the olive oil in a heavy dutch oven over medium heat. Pierce the casings of the Italian sausage with a fork or knife. Brown the sausages in the oil. You are not cooking the sausages, just browning them. Remove the sausages to a plate. Add the meatballs to the pan. Brown the meatballs. You are not cooking the meatball, just browning them. Remove the meatballs to a plate.

Pour off all but about a tablespoon of the oil in the pan. There will be some yummy brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Add the tomato paste and garlic to the pan, stirring to combine and cook for a minute or two. Add one cup of water to the pan, stirring to release the brown bits from the pan's bottom.

Add the rest of the ingredients to the pan, except for the parsley and Parmesan cheese. Stir to combine. Taste the seasonings and adjust as needed. Add the sausages and meatballs to the pan. Cover the pan, leaving the cover slightly ajar. Bring the sauce to a boil and reduce to simmer.

Stir the sauce occasionally to keep the sauce from burning. Add the other cup of water if you think you need it. At the end of the three hours, stir in the Parmesan cheese and chopped parsley. Serve with your favorite pasta and some warm, crusty bread.