Ingredients: |
Ingredients: Tomato Sauce: 2 cans (1 lb. 12 oz. each) tomato purée. I substituted 2 cans of tomato paste (ratio ⅓ C. tomato paste to ⅔ C. water) 2 cloves garlic minced or pressed ½ C. chopped fresh parsley ½ lb. fresh mushrooms, thinly sliced 1 stalk celery, finely chopped 1 medium carrot, finely chopped 1large bell pepper, finely chopped ¾ C. dry red wine 2 T. dry basil 1 T. oregano leaves 2 tsp. salt ½ tsp. pepper 1½ C. water 1 tsp. sugar
Meatballs: 5 slices day-old sweet French bread, crusts removed. I actually used some old rolls I had in the freezer, did not remove the crust, and just dried them out in the Oven for about ½ hr. 2 lbs. lean ground beef 1 C. Kraft grated Parmesan cheese 1 large onion, finely chopped ½ C. chopped fresh parsley 1 tsp. oregano leaves 1 tsp. salt ½ tsp. pepper 2 tsp. dry basil 3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed 3 eggs 3 T. olive oil 2-3 oz. spaghetti per person. I always cook more. We like it leftover! Salted water for cooking the spaghetti Parmesan to serve with the spaghetti
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Directions: |
Directions: In a Dutch oven or large stockpot, combine the tomato purée (or tomato paste), 2 cloves of garlic, ½ C. parsley, mushrooms, celery, carrot, red wine, 2 T. dry basil, 1 T. o oregano leaves, 2 tsp. salt, sugar, ½ tsp. pepper, and water. Let simmer on medium-low heat for about an hour, adding water or low-sodium beef broth as needed to achieve desired consistency. While sauce is simmering, in a food processor, whirl the bread to make crumbs, equaling 2 C. lightly packed crumbs. In a large bowl, mix together the crumbs, ground beef, the one C. Parmesan cheese, onion, parsley, oregano, salt, pepper, basil, garlic, and eggs until well blended. Form the mixture into 1½” meatballs. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the meatballs and brown on all sides, shaking the pan frequently so that the balls keep their round shape. Drain briefly on paper towels. Add the meatballs to the sauce. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 45-50 minutes. Cook the spaghetti in a large kettle of boiling, salted water according to the package directions until al dente. Drain well, and place spaghetti on a warm platter. Spoon the sauce with the meatballs over the spaghetti. Serve with additional Parmesan cheese. Makes about 4 dozen meatballs and 2½ qts. sauce. |