Meatballs and Sauce

It’s meatball time again. Meaning time for something stick-to-your-bones warm that makes the kitchen smell good and everyone happy.

You might read the recipe and gasp – this is a lot of meat. In the meatballs, and in the sauce. It’s the way my Italian Uncle Joe used to make it when he visited every summer from Florida. But he would wake up early in the morning and get everything going on the stove, then we would swim while his famous Italian recipes simmered all day. My parents would always have a dinner party featuring Uncle Joe’s cooking, and their friends always looked forward to it. Then we would freeze the extra he’d be sure to leave us, so that we wouldn’t have to wait another year for his amazing cooking.

We probably don’t have time for an all-day simmer, so no recipe for meatballs and sauce could measure up to Uncle Joe’s. But this one gets pretty close. And it will certainly hit the spot this weekend.

Make crave-worthy meatballs and sauce the way Buzz writer Andria Dilling's Italian Uncle Joe used to make them.

Meatballs and Sauce
Note that to make both the meatballs and the sauce, you will need 2 pounds ground beef, 2 pounds Italian sausage, 2 yellow onions, and 6 cloves of garlic.

For the meatballs:
1 pound ground beef
1 pound Italian sausage, casings removed
½ pound ground pork
1 cup breadcrumbs
1 small yellow onion, grated
2 cloves garlic, grated
½ cup grated parmesan
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

For the sauce:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound ground beef
1 pound Italian sausage, casings removed
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 12-ounce can tomato paste
2 28-ounce cans crushed tomatoes
1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
10 fresh basil leaves

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment. In a large bowl, use your hands to combine 1 pound ground beef, 1 pound sausage, and ½ pound pork, without smashing it. Lightly work in the breadcrumbs, onion, garlic, parmesan, oregano, salt, and pepper. Using wet hands, roll meatballs that are about 1 ½-inches in diameter, and place them on the baking sheet. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the meatballs are browned.

In the meantime, make the sauce. Warm the olive oil over medium heat in a large Dutch oven or pot. Add 1 pound ground beef and 1 pound Italian sausage and break the meat up with a wooden spoon. Brown the meat for about 8 minutes, then add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions and garlic are translucent, about 10 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the crushed tomatoes, oregano, bay leaves, salt, and pepper and stir. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover partially, and simmer while the meatballs continue cooking in the oven.

When the meatballs have browned, remove them from the oven and use tongs to submerge them gently into the sauce. Cover partially again, and simmer on medium-low for about 2 hours, stirring occasionally. 

Just before serving, tear the basil leaves roughly and stir them into the sauce. Serve with pasta or roasted vegetables.