Submitted by: Courtney Rowland of neighborfoodblog.com
From simmering homemade tomato sauce to rolling meatballs, this is a meal that gets the whole family involved.
For the Sauce:
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 C. chopped onions
1 1/2 C. chopped carrots
4 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 - 28 oz. can crushed or whole tomatoes, including the juice, or 1¾ pound of fresh tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped
4 Tbsp chopped fresh basil
2 tsp tomato paste
1 Tbsp sugar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
For the meatballs:
1 C. milk
4-5 slices bread, crusts removed
2 lbs. ground beef
1 lb. Italian sausage
1/3 C. ricotta cheese
1/3 C. Parmesan cheese
3 eggs
3 tsp Kosher salt
1 1/2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
3 tsp black pepper
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
4 garlic cloves, minced
About 1 C. flour
1/4 C. olive, grape, or vegetable oil, for frying
For the pasta:
1 16 oz. box spaghetti noodles
Directions:
The easiest way to manage this recipe is to make sure everything is prepped in advance. This allows you to multi-task so that while the sauce is simmering, you can work on the meatballs, and so forth. Start by prepping all of your sauce ingredients - chop your carrots, onions, and parsley and mince your garlic and basil. Open your canned tomato and paste jars. This will make it much easier to handle the sauce while you’re working on the meatballs. Heat a large skillet over medium heat, add oil, and add carrots, onions, and parsley. Toss to coat the veggies with the oil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for 15-20 minutes or until veggies are softened. *At this point you can get started on the meatballs by mixing the bread crumbs and milk together – full directions are below.
Once the veggies are soft, remove the cover, add the garlic, and increase the heat to medium high. Cook the garlic until fragrant (about 1 minute) then add canned tomatoes, paste, and basil. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil then reduce heat to low and allow to simmer uncovered for 30-45 minutes while you work on the meatballs. Give the sauce a quick whirl in the blender or food processor for a smooth texture then return to the skillet.
Heat the milk in a small saucepan until steaming. Tear the bread into small pieces and add it to the milk. Stir until coated. The texture should be like a thick, wet paste. If mixture is too loose, add a few more bread pieces.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the ricotta, Parmesan, eggs, salt, parsley, pepper, oregano, and garlic. Add the bread mixture and the meat then use your hands to stir together until a cohesive mixture forms. It doesn’t have to look fully combined, it just needs to stick together. Form the mixture into the size balls of your choice and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. At this point, you can either place the baking sheet in the freezer, flash freeze for a few hours, then remove and place the meatballs in a freezer safe ziplock bag OR you can prepare to cook them.
To cook the meatballs, fill a bowl with flour. Dredge each meatball in a little bit of flour then place back on the baking sheet.
Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Carefully add the flour dredged meatballs to the pot and allow to cook until browned, flipping so both sides brown, usually 2-3 minutes per side.
Add the meatballs to the tomato sauce (which should be gently simmer over medium low to medium heat) and allow them to finish cooking in the sauce, usually 15-20 minutes depending on the size of your meatball. To check for doneness, remove one meatball and slice open. Make sure no pink remains in the middle.
While the meatballs finish cooking, boil your pasta water with a few tablespoons of salt and cook your pasta to al dente. Drain and cover to keep warm or serve immediately.
Serve while everything is hot and steamy with a big green salad and garlic bread.
