For a traditional Italian-American comfort food that evokes nostalgia and brings back childhood memories, look no further than the classic old school tomato sauce with meatballs. This timeless dish is a labor of love, simmering for hours on the stovetop, infusing the sauce with rich, savory flavors. The tender, juicy meatballs swimming in a velvety, tangy tomato sauce are sure to become a family favorite. Whether you prefer your meatballs beefy, porky, or a combination of both, the options are endless. With a few simple ingredients and some patience, you can create a hearty and flavorful dish that will warm your soul and bring joy to your dinner table.
Let's cook with our recipes!
MEATBALLS WITH TOMATO SAUCE
Provided by Food Network
Time 55m
Yield 6 servings
Number Of Ingredients 10
Steps:
- For the meatballs: In a mixing bowl, add the ground beef, ricotta cheese, egg, sun-dried tomatoes, Parmigiano cheese, salt, and pepper. Mix well until the ingredients are evenly distributed. With your hands, shape the meatballs into the size of golf balls and then pat them down so they will evenly cook.
- For the tomato sauce: In a large pot, heat the extra-virgin olive oil and cook the onions until translucent. Add the tomato puree and bring to a boil. Add the salt, and pepper, to taste and lower the heat to medium. Add the uncooked meatballs to the pot and let cook on medium heat for 30 minutes.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 261, Fat 10 grams, SaturatedFat 5 grams, Cholesterol 95 milligrams, Sodium 1,179 milligrams, Carbohydrate 18 grams, Fiber 4 grams, Protein 26 grams, Sugar 10 grams
ITALIAN SPAGHETTI SAUCE WITH MEATBALLS
This is a recipe I got from my mother years ago -- it's great.
Provided by Jeremy
Categories Side Dish Sauces and Condiments Recipes Sauce Recipes Pasta Sauce Recipes Tomato
Time 2h20m
Yield 6
Number Of Ingredients 17
Steps:
- In a large bowl, combine ground beef, bread crumbs, parsley, Parmesan, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, garlic powder and beaten egg. Mix well and form into 12 balls. Store, covered, in refrigerator until needed.
- In a large saucepan over medium heat, saute onion and garlic in olive oil until onion is translucent. Stir in tomatoes, salt, sugar and bay leaf. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 90 minutes. Stir in tomato paste, basil, 1/2 teaspoon pepper and meatballs and simmer 30 minutes more. Serve.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 346.6 calories, Carbohydrate 23 g, Cholesterol 77.4 mg, Fat 21.2 g, Fiber 4.5 g, Protein 18.9 g, SaturatedFat 5.9 g, Sodium 1492.5 mg, Sugar 11.1 g
OLD WORLD MEATBALLS IN TOMATO SAUCE
My husband calls this "meatballs and gravy," even though it's a tomato sauce. I got this from my husband's aunt, who is from Italy. I make this all the time, and it's a big hit. Cooking the meatballs for the 2 1/2 hours in the sauce results in a very tender meatball. As is typical of most old world recipes, all spices are "to taste." With 3 pounds of ground meat, I usually end up with 35-38 meatballs. Enjoy!
Provided by CiaoBella
Categories Meat
Time 2h25m
Yield 6 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 18
Steps:
- Make meatballs first.
- Combine all meatball ingredients, adding enough Italian bread crumbs to allow the ground meat to stick together when formed into a ball.
- Form meatballs into size slightly smaller than Dunkin Donuts munchkins, or a little smaller than a golf ball.
- Set aside meatballs.
- Cover bottom of a large pot with a light coating of olive oil.
- Dice fresh garlic and add to pot, frying until golden (about 30 seconds), but do not burn.
- Add paste, puree, crushed tomatoes and water.
- Add spices to taste. Go easy on the red pepper flakes, as you can always add more later.
- Stir. Note: tomato sauce splatters if left unattended on the stove.
- When sauce begins to boil, lower the heat and place meatballs in one by one.
- Let cook for 15 minutes and then stir, being careful not to break apart meatballs. Thereafter, stir occasionally to prevent meatballs from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
- Cook over low heat for 2 1/2 hours.
- If sauce is too thick, add more water.
- If sauce is too spicy, add some sugar to balance out the spice.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 671.6, Fat 36.6, SaturatedFat 14, Cholesterol 224.7, Sodium 758.5, Carbohydrate 37.9, Fiber 8.2, Sugar 21.3, Protein 51
OLD SCHOOL TOMATO SAUCE WITH MEATBALLS
I grew up on this recipe and always, always ,always have several jars, one in the fridge and the more in the freezer. There is no excuse for running out. My Grandma has been gone for many years now, but this is her recipe straight from the old country. I have made a couple of adjustments in the last few years to the ingredients in the meatballs. Made it a bit healthier. I hope it makes your family as happy as it makes mine!
Provided by Peacefulone
Categories Sauces
Time 3h
Yield 20 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 21
Steps:
- Start the sauce:.
- Put oil in bottom of pre-heated sauce pot and let it heat up over medium heat. A nice heavy pot is best.
- Add the onion, green pepper, bay leaves,parsley and red pepper flakes and saute for for about 5 minutes or until the
- onion is translucent.
- Add the garlic and saute another minute or two, don't let the garlic brown.
- Add the first can of tomato sauce.
- Place the 2 cans of stewed tomatoes in a food processor and blend till finely pureed, add them to the pot.
- Add the other three cans of sauce. I go slowly so that the sauce can slowly come to temperature without having to have the heat too high and risk burning it.
- Add the can of diced tomatoes at the end.
- Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper.
- Turn heat to low and keep your eye on the pot while you prepare the meatballs. Stir occassionally. Don't let it burn.
- For the Meatballs:.
- Mix all the meatball ingredients together.
- I usually let the milk sit on the breadcrumbs for a few minutes to moisten them before I start combining the mixture together.
- They should be wet, don't panic, I let the mixture sit for about 10-15 minutes before I start forming the meatballs and it firms up a bit.
- Form them into balls and place as many as you can into a glass pie plate without touching. I have two pie plates going.
- Place the plate into your microwave, yes the microwave, and cook on high for 4 minutes. Grandma didn't do them this way, but they turn out great and it saves a ton of time and it's a whole lot less mess.
- Very carefully remove the pie plate from the oven and slide the contents into your simmering pot of sauce. No, I do not drain any of the fat. Darn stuff tastes great!
- Turn the heat up to about medium while you are adding the meatballs.
- Have your next pie plate of meatballs ready to go into the microwave and repeat process until you are out of meat. I usually get 3-4 plates, depends on how big you like your meatballs.
- Once everything is in the pot and is bubbling turn the heat back down to low and.
- Continue to very gently stir your pot of sauce with meatballs every now and then, you don't want to burn your sauce but you don't want to break up the meatballs either.
- Let simmer together for at least one hour. Longer won't hurt. Your entire neighborhood will smell amazing.
- Serve over your favorite pasta, or in your favorite recipe.
- I store them seperately, keep some in the fridge for another day and put the rest of the sauce in jars in the freezer. I freeze the meatballs individually and then store in bags. If you want to make more meatballs and freeze them before cooking, you can. Just place on a cookie sheet and freeze, then place in gallon size freezer bags. That way the next time you make the sauce it can be done and ready to eat in no time.
MEATBALLS WITH TOMATO SAUCE
Provided by Robert Irvine : Food Network
Time 1h50m
Yield 8 to 12 meatballs
Number Of Ingredients 19
Steps:
- In a bowl, blend the garlic, salt, oregano, parsley, Tomato Sauce and egg, mixing well with a whisk. Next, by hand, add the ground beef, pork and veal, mixing well, ensuring not to over-mix. After mixing, portion the meatballs to desired size, 1 1/2 to 2 ounces, then allow to rest in the refrigerator for 20 to 30 minutes. This will allow the meatballs to bind.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Over medium-high heat, add enough grapeseed oil to coat the bottom of a large skillet. Sear the meatballs until browned, 2 to 3 minutes each side. After searing, finish the meatballs in the oven until cooked through. This time will vary according to the size of the meatballs.
- Over medium-high heat, add the olive oil to a saucepan and heat. Add the garlic and onions and cook until the onions soften. Next, add the wine, deglazing the pan. Reduce the heat to medium and add the carrots and thyme, cooking for an additional 5 minutes. Finally, add the tomatoes and their juices, bring to a boil and reduce the heat to a simmer. Add the basil and continue to cook over a low heat for 20 to 30 minutes. Season to taste and remove from the heat. Yield: 1 gallon.;
GRANDMA'S OLD ITALIAN SPAGHETTI SAUCE WITH MEATBALLS
Grandma's sauce is an old recipe that she brought over from Italy. It is a long process with strange ingredients, but they all come together to make the best sauce I have ever had. The long process is worth your trouble the minute you take your first bite.
Provided by cherbear
Categories Side Dish Sauces and Condiments Recipes Sauce Recipes Pasta Sauce Recipes Tomato
Time 8h
Yield 12
Number Of Ingredients 21
Steps:
- Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat in the bottom of a large saucepan, and fry the garlic cloves 5 to 8 minutes, until brown and fragrant. Remove the garlic cloves and set aside. Place the pig's feet and pork neck bones in the saucepan and fry, turning occasionally, until the meat and bones have browned, about 15 minutes.
- Return the garlic cloves to the saucepan, and stir in the tomato paste and 1 1/2 cups of water. Bring to a boil, and pour in the tomato puree. Reduce heat to low, and simmer for about 3 hours, stirring from the bottom often to prevent burning, until the pig's feet are tender and the mixture begins to thicken. Stir in the sugar, pepper, and baking soda. Continue to simmer while you prepare the meatballs.
- Soak the torn bread with 1 cup of water in a bowl. Squeeze excess water out of the bread, and place the bread in a large bowl with the 6 beaten eggs, ground pork, ground veal, and ground beef. Mix thoroughly and form into 24 meatballs about 2 1/2 inches in diameter.
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat, stir in the minced garlic and chopped fresh basil, let them cook for about 1 minute, and then add the meatballs. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and fry them on all sides until brown, about 15 minutes, working in batches, if necessary.
- Place the browned meatballs, along with the oil, garlic, and basil from the skillet into the sauce, stirring lightly to avoid breaking them. Add the whole hard-boiled eggs, and simmer for about 1 1/2 more hours, until the meatballs are cooked, the sauce is thick, and all the flavors have blended.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 599.1 calories, Carbohydrate 38 g, Cholesterol 319.1 mg, Fat 29.4 g, Fiber 4.7 g, Protein 46.2 g, SaturatedFat 9.4 g, Sodium 1437.4 mg, Sugar 11.6 g
OLD-FASHIONED MEATBALLS IN RED SAUCE
Provided by Leslie Revsin
Categories Beef Cheese Egg Pasta Tomato Bake Kid-Friendly Sausage Gourmet Small Plates
Yield Makes twelve 2 1/2-inch meatballs
Number Of Ingredients 7
Steps:
- Remove ground round and sausage from refrigerator 30 to 60 minutes before cooking, if possible. Place bread crumbs in large bowl and stir in 1/3 cup water. When absorbed, blend together with eggs, garlic, 1/4 cup grated Romano, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Add meats to bread crumb mixture and combine well with fork. Form into 12 even balls. Lay in 1 layer in 8 x 14-inch baking dish so each is separated by about 1 inch.
- Stir 1/4 cup water into crushed tomatoes and season with 1/8 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste. Pour tomatoes over and around meatballs. Sprinkle tops with remaining 1 1/3 tablespoons grated Romano. Bake in center of oven until meatballs are just cooked through, about 18 minutes. Serve hot.
Tips:
- Use ripe, flavorful tomatoes. This will give your sauce the best flavor. If you can't find ripe tomatoes, you can use canned tomatoes, but be sure to choose a high-quality brand.
- Brown the meatballs before adding them to the sauce. This will help to keep them moist and flavorful.
- Simmer the sauce for at least 30 minutes. This will allow the flavors to meld and develop.
- Season the sauce to taste. You may want to add salt, pepper, garlic powder, or Italian seasoning.
- Serve the sauce over your favorite pasta. Spaghetti, penne, and rigatoni are all good choices.
Conclusion:
This old-school tomato sauce with meatballs is a delicious and hearty meal that is perfect for a weeknight dinner. It is easy to make and can be tailored to your own taste. So next time you are looking for a comforting and satisfying meal, give this recipe a try.
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