Italian Meatballs with Homemade Garlic Basil Tomato Sauce

This morning the house still smells wonderful from making my meatballs with sauce. Basil perfumes the sauce. The meatballs are soft and flavorful.  

There isn't any right or wrong way to make Italian meatballs.  I was reassured of this when I consulted the late great Marcella Hazan's Italian cookbooks, just to make sure my recipe wasn't off the mark.. She says every nonna has her own way.  This is my way... ----Barbara

Italian Meatballs with Sauce

Makes 24 meatballs

1.3 lb mixed ground meat of beef, veal, pork
1 cup dry bread crumbs or crushed crackers
1/2  cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 egg
milk to add to the egg to make 1 cup
1/2 t. salt
Olive oil for frying

In a large bowl, add ground meat, sprinkle it with 1/2 t. salt, add 1 cup of bread crumbs, 1/2 cup of grated Parmesan, and 1/2 cup chopped parsley.

Then break the egg into a 1-cup measuring cup and fill it up the rest of the way with milk.  Pour it over the meat mixture.

Then with your hands, mix together the meat until all of the ingredients are evenly distributed.

Form into round balls about the size of a golf ball and place them on a piece of parchment paper or wax paper.

Heat about 3 T. of olive oil in a large frying pan which has a cover.  Brown the meatballs in two batches on medium high.

You will be under-cooking the meatballs.  They will finish cooking in the sauce.

When you place them in the pan, be sure not to move them until they have browned well enough to turn them or they will fall apart.  Turn them all over, and brown again, being careful not to break them apart.

Remove and brown the second batch.

You can place them on a plate in a warm oven while you make the sauce, if you want.

Turn off the heat under the skillet.  And start the sauce.

Tomato Sauce with Garlic and Basil

Makes enough sauce for 1 lb. of spaghetti

1/2 cup dry white wine for deglazing the pan
28 ounces of best quality tomatoes* with their juices, crushed by hand**
1/2 head of garlic chopped or grated
3 T. dried or 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
1/2 onion, finely chopped (optional)

While the skillet is still hot, but off the heat, deglaze the pan with wine (or with chicken stock) and pick up all of the brown bits with a spatula.

On medium heat, add the garlic and the basil and chopped onion (optional) to the deglazed pan.  Then add the crushed tomatoes** with their juices.  Mix it all together and bring to a simmer.

Return the meatballs to the sauce, and cover the pan with a lid,

On very low, simmer the meatballs in the sauce for about 15 minutes.

Then uncover, and cook again for 15 minutes to thicken the sauce.

Meanwhile, cook your spaghetti (1 lb.) in lots of salty water until al dente, drain.

Divide spaghetti into individual serving bowls.  Spoon meatballs and sauce over top.

Serve extra cheese at the table.

B

*I used LMR tomatoes in these photos but most of the time I use a can of  Cento San Marzano tomatoes.   Muir Glen San Marzano are also a good option.  Just be sure they are best quality since they are the key ingredient in this dish.  Italian San Marzano regardless of brand are the best.

**To crush the tomatoes, open the can, and pour the contents into a large bowl, and use your hands to crush the whole tomatoes, which is what I like to do.  Alternatively, you can pour the contents into a plastic bag, seal it well, and crush them from the outside by squeezing the bag.