If you love the taste and aroma of rich,flavourful, noutritious, authentic, italian foods then you will love this pasta sauce with meatballs. This is a sauce best made with a lot of TLC; tender love and care.
1 and a 1/2 pounds minced ground beef
INGREDIENTS
1/2 pound minced ground pork
8 links of italian sausage ( mild or hot depending on your taste)
30 white mushrooms ( small to medium in size ) cut in half
3 – 4 cloves of garlic ( finely diced )
1 medium sized onion ( finely diced )
2 tins diced tomatoes
1 tin tomato paste
1 and a 1/2 cups cold water
1/2 bottle red wine ( sweet or your taste )
1 table spoon each: (dried) sweet basil, oregano, rosemary, tattagon, thyme
4 whole bay leafs
3 – 4 table spoons of white sugar
Using a deep large sauce pan on medium heat warm up the pan and add 3 – 4 tablespoons of pure olive oil
Sauce preparation
start by lightly sauteing until translucent, your onion and garlic to sweat off their flavour
break in small pieces 1/2 pound of your ground beef and saute’ until lightly browned
add in your assorted spices and your diced tomatoes and tomato paste and stir
add in your wine and water
Allow this mixture to come to a boil then reduce temperature to ( low heat or simmer)
add in your sugar. This will cut down the acidity of the tomato.
Use a large frying pan or skillet
pre-heat pan on medium heat. add 2 – 3 table spoons pure olive oil
Saute’ your mushrooms till they begin to change colour and texture and then add them to your sauce.
Saute’ your Italian Sausage until golden brown all around. Remove them to your chopping board and slice them into bite-sized pieces and add them to your sauce.
In a large mixing bowl blend your ground beef and ground pork
Meatballs
If desired (finely dice) 1/2 an onion and add it into the meat
add 1/2 cup of Italian seasoned bread crumbs
add 1 egg
add salt and pepper and any other spices you want to your taste
knead together until all the ingredients are of a firm consistency.
Re-heat your skillet add 1 tablespoon of Pure Olive Oil
form your meat into small ( mouth-sized bite sized balls )
Saute’ them up until browned all over and then add them to your simmering sauce.
Allow this sauce to simmer for a good 3 – 4 hours The longer you allow for this sauce to simmer the more the meatballs and the sausage have to absorb the flavour of the sauce.
Note:
If you like a little spicy heat in your sauce add in dried chili flakes to taste and if you like it a little cheesey add some grated regiano parma cheese or romano cheese
Note:
This sauce mixture will freeze up beautifully for another day.
One pound of either Spaghetti, or Spaghettini
Heat up one large pot of water seasoned with salt and two tablespoons of Olive oil.
Wait until the water is at a full boil, then add in as much pasta as you need for one serving for yourself and any guests stir pasta until softened how you like it, and drain. Some prefer their pasta “eldente” some prefer it soft.
Place a little of the sauce liquid into a serving bowl add your drained pasta coat the pasta with a little more sauce and it is ready to serve.
Goes great with some hot crusty garlic bread and a glass of red wine if you like wine.
Note:
at a later date, if you want to, you can mix the sauce with a tin of chili beans, makes a great chili.
Pick up a loaf of Garlic bread and heat it up and you have one of the tastiest totally Italian dinners ever served.
Pasta