Mom’s Tomato Sauce, Sausage & Meatballs

Food

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Mom's Meatballs & Sauce

For sausage & meatballs:

• 2 lbs sweet italian sausage (removed from casing & cut into one-inch pieces)
• I pound each ground beef, pork, & veal
• 1 small onion, finely minced
• ½ c grated parmesan
• 1/2 c chopped italian flat leaf parsley
• ½ c seasoned Italian breadcrumbs
• 2 eggs
• 1 tbsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsp pepper

For sauce:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup good red wine
• 2 (6oz) cans tomato paste
• 3 (28oz) cans tomato puree or 2 cans puree, 1 can crushed
• 2 Tbsp fresh basil
• 1-2 tbsp sugar (to taste)

A few notes on making this:

• This recipe makes quite a bit of food. If you aren’t cooking for a crowd, separate the meatballs and sausage from the sauce, and freeze in containers for another meal.
• The sauce is even better on the second day, so plan to make a day before you plan on eating it, if possible.

Directions:

• In a large Dutch oven, film bottom with olive oil and brown sausage pieces on medium high heat. Don’t cook all the way through, just get a nice crust on the outsides & remove to plate. Repeat with all the sausage.
• In a large mixing bowl, mix the ground meats, onion, parsley, parmesan, bread crumbs, eggs, and salt & pepper. Mix until just incorporated, and roll into 1½ inch balls—I like using a scoop for this so they are all about the same size.
• Once all sausage is browned and removed to plate, brown meatballs in batches the same way and remove to the plate with sausage.
• Deglaze pan with wine, scraping up all the brown bits from the bottom and bringing to a simmer.
• add tomato paste and stir well into wine
• Add cans of puree. If sauce seems thick, fill a puree can with water and add into sauce.
• Mix everything together really well & add basil and simmer ½ hour.
• Add in 1Tbsp sugar
• Add all meat back in, then taste alter 5 minutes.
• Simmer on stovetop for 2-3 hours, checking every 30 minutes or so for sugar
• After the sauce simmers for around 3 hours, check for taste and remove from the heat.
• Enjoy with spaghetti or stuffed shells.