Sauce & Meatballs

Ingredients

• 2 large cans san marzano tomatoes
• 1 large can crushed tomatoes (with basil if available)
• 1 large can tomato sauce
• 1 large can tomato puree
• 1 small can tomato paste with Italian herbs
• 1 white onion
• 3 cloves garlic
• 4 tbs extra virgin olive oil
• 1 lb ground beef (80/20 or 85/15)
• 1 lb meatloaf mix
• 1 cup Italian breadcrumbs
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 4-6 basil leaves
• Seasonings (garlic powder, onion powder, Italian, red pepper flakes)
• Italian sausage and/or pork (optional)

Instructions

1. 1

   Cut onion and garlic and set aside

2. 2

   In a large sauce pan over med-high heat, add the olive oil and onion. Saute onion for a few minutes, then add the garlic and saute for another 1-2 minutes. Do not let the garlic burn.

3. 3

   Add 2 cans of san marzano tomatoes and basil leaves to the sauce pan. Stir and let simmer over low heat while you combine ingredients for the meatballs. You may need to stir the tomatoes if they seem like they are boiling.

4. 4

   Make the meatballs - combine ground beef, meatloaf mix, eggs, breadcrumbs, parm cheese, and add seasonings. Mix together. If the mix still seems wet from the eggs, add more breadcrumbs. Set mix aside.

5. 5

   Back to the sauce. Emulsify until the sauce looks like a crushed tomato sauce. Then add the rest of the sauce cans (crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, puree, paste). Stir in and keep sauce pan on low heat.

6. 6

   Form and add meatballs to sauce (add them raw - trust me). Any size you'd like, but preferably slightly larger than golf ball size. Stir in. You can also add raw italian sausage and/or pork during this step.

7. 7

   Add seasonings to sauce (garlic powder, onion powder, italian, red pepper flakes). Don't overdo the red pepper flakes. You can always add more to your meal.

8. 8

   Simmer sauce and meatballs for 3-4 hours on low heat, stirring the sauce every 10-15 minutes. Failure to stir will result in burnt sauce. You may need to stir every 5 minutes at the beginning if the pan is still too hot from the saute step.

9. 9

   Serve over al dente pasta.