It's hard to beat homemade spaghetti and meatballs. What a crowd pleaser! The homemade sauce for this is made easier by adding the tomato paste last; less stirring is required. And the meatballs have that sausage-like flavor, without the extra fat and additives that sausage typically has. Another convenience: The browned meatballs are put in the oven for 20 minutes to finish cooking. Less minding of the pan, but the meatballs don't fall apart as some tend to do. Make a full batch of this large recipe and freeze half if necessary; the meatballs covered in sauce keep well in the freezer for 2 or more months. Feeds 8 or so.
Meatball Ingredients:
Spaghetti Sauce Ingredients:
For tomato sauce, saute' in a med. skillet with lid on: > 6 c. (2 lb.) fine-chopped onion > 8-10 garlic cloves (1/4 c.), minced > 1/4 c. olive oil
Stir occasionally, over med. high heat. Turn burner down as the onions soften, and remove the lid. Next add to the onion skillet: > 1 c. red wine (or 1/2 c. red wine vinegar)
Turn the burner up again to let the liquid boil off some, stirring occasionally. Last of all, add the mixture to a large bowl or pot, mixing in the remaining ingredients: > 8 oz. can tomato paste > 2- 28 oz. cans chunk tomatoes (almost 2 quarts) > 1/2 TBS. salt > 1/2 TBS. pepper > 2 TBS. dry basil > (optional) 1-2 c. catsup (or substitute canned, pureed tomato)
For meatballs, mix all the meatball ingredients together. Ideally, scoop meatballs w/cookie scoop (or hand-roll). Brown batches of meatballs in large iron skillet. Remove to cookie sheet when browned, continuing with process. When finished browning, bake meatballs in 300 degree oven for 20 minutes to cook thoroughly. Add meatballs to tomato sauce, serve w/cooked pasta and parmesan cheese. To freeze some of it, store in plastic pint containers (or freezer bags), covered with the tomato sauce.