spaghetti and meatballs recipe

 

Ingredients

• 2 (28 ounce) cans crushed tomatoes

• 1 (28 ounce) can tomato puree
• 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon italian seasoning
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon parsley
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese or romano cheese
• 2 onions, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• Italian sausage or home-made meatballs
• 1-2 spareribs (optional)
• leftover cooked chicken thigh or chicken leg (optional)
• pepperoni (optional)

Directions

1. 1

   Combine tomato products in large stock pot or dutch oven.

2. 2

   Add a 28 ounce can of water and stir.

3. 3

   Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer.

4. 4

   Sprinkle with sugar, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, parsley and grated cheese and stir to combine.

5. 5

   In a frying pan, heat about 1/4" of vegetable oil and fry up your sausage or meatballs until cooked through.

6. 6

   Add the meat to the simmering sauce, along with any optional meats (recommended) mentioned in ingredients.

7. 7

   Now, this is an important, not to be left out, step: Add chopped onions and garlic to pan that meat was fried in.

8. 8

   Do not drain anything before adding onions and garlic-- there should be some drippings/oil left in the pan!

9. 9

   Fry onions and garlic until tender and aromatic.

10. 10

    Remove pan from heat.

11. 11

    Another important step, not to be left out: Add about 1/2 cup water to the pan and swish around, combining the leftover drippings and onion and garlic.

12. 12

    Pour and scrape it all into the simmering sauce.

13. 13

    Stir to combine.

14. 14

    Let simmer for 3 hours or until desired consistency, stirring occasionally.

15. 15

    I keep mine only half way covered, so it cooks down and gets thick and rich.

16. 16

    Remove pepperoni, chicken and ribs if used.

17. 17

    Remove meat from bones of chicken and ribs and add back to sauce in small shreds.

18. 18

    Discard pepperoni, eat it, or chop it up and add it back to sauce.

19. 19

    Serve over your favorite pasta and enjoy.

ngredients

• 2 lbs lean ground beef
• 8-10 slices white bread, broken into small 1/2 inch pieces (or you can use rolls or any stale bread you have and want to use up)
• 2 eggs, slightly beaten
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (or to taste)
• 1 teaspoon italian seasoning (or to taste)
• 2 teaspoons parsley flakes (or to taste)
• 1/4-1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese (or Locatelli)
• 1-2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4-1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• olive oil or vegetable oil (for frying)

Directions

1. 1

   Mix all ingredients gently in a large bowl until well combined.

2. 2

   Roll meatballs 1 1/2- 1 3/4" in diameter.

3. 3

   Heat about 1/4" of oil over medium heat in a large frying pan.

4. 4

   Fry meatballs in oil, rolling frequently, until evenly browned and juices run clear.

5. 5

   Drop meatballs in your favorite sauce (I highly recommend My Mama Iuliucci's"Don't Skip a Step" Spaghetti Sauce recipe#26947) and let simmer for awhile to flavor sauce or just serve with your favorite pasta and sauce.

6. 6

   Tip: You can also bake or broil these if the frying part is too much of a hassle-- I use my broiler pan if I bake them, so the fat drips down and away from the meatballs.