Italian cuisine has a special place in my heart, thanks to my Italian Grandmother and her delicious home-cooked food. Every year when I visited, the first meal she would serve was always spaghetti and meatballs with a side salad and Italian dressing. The aroma of Italian spices would fill her house and make my mouth water for hours. It was impossible to resist the delectable flavors, so no matter how much I ate, there was always room for another bite. The warm combination of pasta and juicy meatballs warms my heart whenever I think about it. Grandma’s Italian cooking will always have a special place in my memory and my stomach! Here is my adaptation of her Italian meatballs and spaghetti sauce.
Step One – Prepare the Meatball Mixture
Italian night will be a hit if you begin by preparing the perfect meatballs. In a large bowl, combine ground beef, Italian sausage, Italian-style bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, garlic powder, crushed red pepper, and Italian seasoning to create a flavorful mixture.
Mix by hand until all the ingredients are evenly incorporated, so each bite of your Italian feast is guaranteed to satisfy.
Step Two – Shape the Italian Meatballs
Shape the mixture into small fist-sized balls and set them aside. Now it’s time to whip up some delicious spaghetti sauce so that when you serve up your Italian creation, it really packs a punch!
Step Three – Diced Onion and Garlic
Italian cuisine is well known for using simple ingredients and culinary techniques to create flavor-rich dishes. This is certainly true when making Italian meatballs in spaghetti sauce! The process starts with a large onion, which needs to be diced. Heat the olive oil in a pot, then add the onion and fry until translucent (3-5 minutes).
Once the onions have softened and taken on a glassy appearance, toss in some minced garlic and fry for two minutes more. At this point, Italian kitchen magic truly begins!
Step Four – Cook the Tomato Paste
Adding tomato paste to the fried diced onion and garlic gives a delectable richness to the mixture. Cooking the tomato paste helps the flavors to mix and release. It is essential in achieving the perfect sauce for your Italian meatballs or spaghetti.
After about two minutes of stirring frequently, you have a savory concoction that Italian cooks have passed on from generation to generation. The secret flavor these ingredients bring together when blended can’t be beaten!
Step Five – Add the Tomate Sauce
Italian cuisine is one of the most beloved culinary delights in the world, and making a delicious Italian spaghetti sauce with meatballs at home is a great way to enjoy it. The next step in the process is to add the tomato sauce, one can of water, one tablespoon of parsley, and one tablespoon of basil and bring to a gentle boil. You must watch out for splatter from the boiling pot, but that’s all part of Italian cooking.
Step Six – Add the Italian Meatballs to the Spaghetti Sauce
Italian cuisine truly does not get any better than freshly cooked meatballs gently simmered in a delicious spaghetti sauce. To finish up your Italian feast, the last step is to add the carefully prepared meatballs directly to the sauce. No need to pre-cook them as they will pick up wonderful flavor while cooking in the sauce – just drop them in gently and turn down the heat
Always use a splatter screen when simmering to ensure your Italian-style dishes turn out tender and flavorful. This helps prevent the sauce from splashing everywhere while letting enough steam escape so your dish won’t become watery. Stir occasionally to avoid sticking and getting excessively browned as you wait for your food to reach an internal temperature of 160 degrees. Now, who doesn’t want some Italian meatballs?
Italian aromas waft through the air, and your tummy rumbles with anticipation. After four long hours of simmering, your homemade sauce is ready to carry the flavors of Italian staples. The flavor has deepened over time, and soon you’ll be able to take a bite into a symphony of Italian flavors created by you! With every plate of spaghetti topped with your homemade sauce, it can only get better from here on out.
Old Fashioned Italian Meatballs and Sauce
Ingredients
Spaghetti Sauce
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large onion
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 3 cans tomato sauce
- 1 can water
- 1.5 can tomato paste
- 1 tbsp parsley
- 1 tbsp basil
Italian Meatballs
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1/2 lb ground Italian sausage
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp italian sesasoning
- 1/2 cup paramasean cheese
- 1/2 cup bread crumbs
- 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
Instructions
- Dice one large onion.
- In a large pot, heat two tablespoons of olive oil and add the diced onion. Fry until translucent. This should take 3-5 minutes.
- Add 1 teaspoon minced garlic and cook 2 minutes more.
- Add the tomato paste, stirring frequently to release the flavor for about 2 minutes.
- Add the tomato sauce, one can of water, one tablespoon parsley, and one tablespoon of basil. Bring sauce to a boil and then turn down the heat and simmer.
Italian Meatballs
- In a large bowl mix together the ground beef,sausage, bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, garlic powder and Italian seasoning.
- Shape into balls the size of a child's fist. Add to sauce mixture.
- Simmer over low heat for four hours, stirring occassionally.
Notes
Cooking Tips for Spaghetti and Meatballs
- Always use a splatter screen. Covering your pot with a lid keeps the steam in, which makes for a watery sauce. Not covering the lid can create a mess of splatter sauce.
- Use a good quality tomato sauce. My go-to choice is Contadina.
- Use good quality olive oil such as Bertolli.
- You can brown the meatballs by frying them in oil or baking. However, cooking them in the sauce makes them tender and adds more flavor.
- Barilla is my pasta of choice.
- After you cook the pasta, return it to the pan and add enough sauce for a thin coat. This will help keep the noodles from sticking together and also helps the sauce stick better once you make your plate.
What can you do with leftover spaghetti and Italian meatballs?
- These meatballs and sauce make great subs.
- You can remove the meatballs and use the sauce in lasagna, baked ziti, and baked spaghetti.
- The sauce freezes really well. Freeze in single-serve portions for easy and tasty weekday lunches.
