Homemade Spaghetti Sauce with Meatballs
I’d never tried making my own Homemade Spaghetti Sauce with Meatballs until one summer when I had a bunch of garden tomatoes to use. I have to admit that it’s time consuming to prepare the fresh tomatoes, but my, oh my, did it smell good in the kitchen. And it tasted great!
There’s something really wonderful to have a pot of sauce simmering on the stove. The smells that escape into the kitchen are divine. And this is an amazing motivator to produce the best meal possible.
Fresh Sauce. Fresh Pasta. Freshly Made Bread. You can do it!
Tip #1 – Parboil Your Tomatoes
One tip that will save you a lot of time and frustration is to parboil your fresh tomatoes. Bring a large pot or roaster of water to a boil and add tomatoes to the water. You want enough water to cover the tomatoes in a single layer. Allow to boil for 25-30 seconds or until you see the delicate skin begin to peel. Whichever comes first. Then remove tomatoes from the boiling water with a slotted spoon.
Place the hot tomatoes in ice water to stop the cooking. Repeat this process until all the tomatoes have been blanched. You will now be able to easily peel the skins from the tomatoes.
Making the Homemade Spaghetti Sauce with Meatballs
At this point, you can begin preparing the sauce. In a large Dutch oven, saute onion and garlic in oil, and then add the rest of the sauce ingredients. Bring to a boil, and then simmer for 2.5 – 3 hours.
Toward the end of the cooking time, prepare your meatballs and bake them in the oven. Make the meatballs small or gigantic. Our grandchildren like them big. That’s a Mighty Meatball. When the meatballs have browned, you may add them to the sauce, along with the buttered mushrooms. Continue allowing this to simmer while you prepare your pasta.
If you’re really motivated to make a fantastic meal, prepare my Homemade Pasta while your sauce is cooking. If not, I highly recommend De Cecco Spaghetti #12 Or Sam’s Choice Italia Bronze Cut Enriched Spaghetti.
Since you’re making this fantastic homemade Italian dinner, you may as well add some breadsticks and a dessert to the menu. Go ahead. Do it! You won’t believe the sense of accomplishment it will bring you.
See more Italian Dinner Recipes Here.
Homemade Spaghetti Sauce with Meatballs
Equipment
Ingredients
Spaghetti Sauce:
- 8 cups 3 pounds red tomatoes parboiled, peeled, cored and diced
- 2 tablespoons Extra Virgin olive oil
- 1 cup sweet onion chopped
- 1/2 cup minced fresh garlic
- 1/2 cup red wine
- 3 cubes beef bouillon
- 6 oz tomato paste
- 1 whole bay leaf
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- 1 tablespoon dried basil
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 cups button mushrooms chopped
Meatballs:
- 1 pound ground hamburger
- 1 pound ground sausage
- 1/3 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon minced onion
- 20 oz favorite dried spaghetti cooked according to package directions
- Freshly grated Parmesan
Instructions
- Using a large saucepan, parboil tomatoes for easy peeling. Peel, core, and slice into small pieces.
- In large Dutch Oven, heat olive oil and saute onion and garlic. Add chopped tomatoes, red wine, bouillon cubes, tomato paste, bay leaf, sugar, parsley, basil, oregano, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil and cook for 10 minutes. Cover with a lid and reduce heat to simmer. Continue cooking for 2 1/2-3 hours, stirring occasionally.
- While sauce is cooking, prepare meatballs. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In large bowl, combine hamburger, sausage, bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, egg, onion, and Italian seasoning. Mix well. Roll into balls the size of golf balls or use a medium-sized cookie scoop to make the meatballs. Place in greased baking dish. Bake for 45-50 minutes until done.
- In a small skillet, melt butter and saute mushrooms for 10-15 minutes. Add to spaghetti sauce along with cooked meatballs. Cook sauce for an additional 10 minutes.
- Prepare your favorite dried spaghetti according to package instructions or double my Homemade Pasta Recipe Here.
- Serve over cooked spaghetti with freshly grated Parmesan, French Bread or Soft Bread Sticks. Serves 10-12.
