Homemade Spaghetti Sauce with Meatballs is a great way to use your garden tomatoes. It’s a bit time consuming to prepare the fresh tomatoes, but my, oh my, does it smell good in the kitchen. And the taste is buono!
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 and dice them for use.
Using a Santoku or Chef’s knife, dice the tomatoes into small pieces. They will cook down in the sauce, but I like to give them a good start by starting small.
Measure the diced tomatoes and place in a large stockpot or Dutch oven. You should have about 8 cups of tomatoes.
Prepare the Ingredients
Gather the ingredients so that you have everything close at hand on the counter or table
Using a cutting board and sharp knife, dice the sweet onion. Mince the garlic.
Chop the button mushrooms and place in a bowl. Refrigerate until ready to cook.
Make the Sauce
In a medium skillet over medium heat saute the diced onion and minced garlic in the extra virgin olive oil. Cook until tender, about 2-3 minutes.
Add the onion and garlic to the diced tomatoes. Then add the dry red wine, beef bouillon cubes, tomato paste, and granulated sugar.
Season the sauce with a bay leaf, dried parsley, basil, and oregano, kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper.
Heat the large saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Allow to boil for a few minutes and then lower the temperature to a simmer. Continue cooking for 60-90 minutes with the lid on, stirring occasionally.
Once the sauce has cooked for up to 90 minutes, remove the lid from the sauce and cook uncovered for another 90 minutes, stirring more frequently.
Prepare the Meatballs
While sauce is cooking, prepare meatballs. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, ground sausage, Italian-seasoned bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, large egg, dried minced onion, and Italian seasoning. Mix well with a fork or your hands.
Roll into balls the size of golf balls or use a small cookie scoop (3/4 oz) to make the meatballs. Place in greased oblong baking dish. Bake in preheated oven for 45-50 minutes until done.
Finish the Sauce
To finish the sauce, melt butter in a small skillet, and saute the chopped mushrooms until tender for 10-15 minutes.
Add the mushrooms to the spaghetti sauce along with the cooked meatballs. Cook sauce for an additional 10 minutes to allow the flavors to meld.
Prepare the Spaghetti
Prepare your favorite dried spaghetti according to package instructions or double my Homemade Pasta Recipe Here.
Place water in a large stockpot along with a tablespoon of kosher salt. Bring to a rolling boil. Cook pasta to al dente, according to boxed directions. Cook to al dente.
Begin dishing up the dinner, by placing the meatballs in a large serving bowl.
When the pasta has reached al dente, transfer spaghetti with a pasta scoop to the sauce. Gently stir until the sauce has coated all or most of the spaghetti. Place spaghetti in a second large serving bowl.
Serve spaghetti with freshly grated Parmesan, French Bread or Soft Bread Sticks. Serves 8-10.