Aunt Rita's Pasta Sauce with Meatballs

Meatballs:
1 lb. mixed meats (veal/pork/beef, or just one of them will do)
1-1/2 premium unsalted crackers, smashed in a baggy or 1/4 to 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1 egg, beaten
1 tbsp. parsley
1 tsp. pepper
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Sauce:
1 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 lb. mixed meats (veal/pork/beef, or just one of them will do)
2/3 clove garlic, crushed
1 sm. onion, finely chopped (optional)
1 can Hunt's Tomato Sauce or your favorite pasta sauce.
1 can tomato paste, diluted into
3 cups water
1 can diced tomatoes (can use plum, but dice, not blend, you don't want mush)
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar or red wine
Parsley, oregano, salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

Meatballs:
Mix together, form 3/4-inch balls. If too dry, add more crackers or bread crumbs. In your sauce pot, cover bottom with olive oil and heat (5-6/med). When hot, place meatballs in and immediately shake pot so they roll around continuously, you'll see them get brown evenly and this keeps their round shape. Never stop shaking/rolling them around, you can rest for 5 seconds, but shake again or they'll stick and break apart in the sauce. When good and brown, almost cooked, remove from pot.

Sauce:
Add oil, meats, garlic and onion to pan. Mix, breaking up meat. Once meat is browned add remaining ingredients. Mix well, then set meatballs on top of the sauce, cover them with a bit of sauce with a spoon. (Do not push them into sauce, or they'll got to the bottom and burn and stick during boiling).

Cook at a rolling boil for 10 minutes. Turn to low, let simmer for two hours, stirring every half an hour. After that time, if too thick, add 1/4 cup of water, if too thin, add 1 tsp. of tomato paste at a time. Then let simmer and blend another 10 minutes. Serve or freeze.

Comments from Jules Gazzola :

This make a good size batch, maybe ten people, so rather than cut the recipe in half, freeze left overs!

User Reviews:

Aunt Rita can definitely cook! The sauce is delicious!

Submitted by sherrill on December 08, 2003

My lovely wife Barb, although a "good" cook and one whom I never complain about her cooking especially since I never do the cooking-- cannot make a spaghetti sauce to save our marriage. I swear to God it looks like Manwhich's sloppy Joe sauce by the time she simmers it down. My Mom (whom happens to be 100\% Irish and learned the fine skill of cooking by "winging it")-- makes a phenomenal sauce- but refuses to share the secret with her 14 children--since it wouldn't be special. I told my wife that if I found a recipe on the net- I'd take over the sauce duties. Please tell me this is an easy recipe to prepare? My idea of cooking is frozen Tombstoners and PB&J's. Wish me and our marriage luck! Ciao'

Submitted by Timoteo Benetti on December 05, 2003

What the? I thought this was a receipe, not a chat room. Whats the deal with the beer-burley guy?

Submitted by Toni on November 02, 2001

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