A couple of weeks ago Ben asked if I would make some more meatballs and spaghetti, it had been awhile, maybe a year or so, but who’s counting right! On a whim and on the fly while at the store I decided to go ahead and pick up the ingredients to make a batch of the family fav. I knew we already had some of the ingredients on hand like onions, celery and garlic. But I needed the meat and tomato products, so I went through the store picking up the items I needed to complete the recipe.
I make my tomato sauce with canned tomatoes, I find it cheaper and easier to make than using fresh tomatoes. And I also have more control over the sauce consistency too with canned tomato products. I do not use the bottled tomato sauces either, as I find them too thin, I like a very thick and chunky sauce that won’t run or seep liquid when plated. So here is my recipe that was just made this past Saturday and tastes better each day, having some for lunch today too!
Meatballs and Spaghetti
Yield: 2 gallons
Ingredients
Meatballs
1 lb. Ground beef
1 lb. Ground pork
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 each Eggs
2 Tbsp Italian Seasoning
1 Tsp Cajun Spice Mix
½ Cup Italian breadcrumbs
1 Tsp Garlic salt
Sauce
1 Tbsp Olive oil
5 Cups Onions, medium diced
5 Cups Celery, medium diced
1 Bulb Garlic cloves (or 10), minced
2 Oz Anchovies, minced
2 Tbsp Capers, minced
1 Cup Red wine
2 Tbsp Italian Seasoning
1 Tbsp Basil leaves, chopped
1 Tbsp Thyme leaves, chopped
1 Tbsp Oregano leaves, chopped
1 Can Tomato paste, 6 ounces
1 Can Tomato sauce, 29 ounces
1 Can Diced tomatoes, 28 ounces
1 Can Crushed tomatoes, 28 ounces
1 Can Peeled plum tomatoes, 28 ounces
3 Each Bay leaf
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
To taste Salt and pepper
Fresh shredded mizithra, semi-soft ricotta or manouri cheese.
Procedure Steps – Note: Pre-heat an oven to 350° F.
- Prepare the meatballs by combining the ground beef and ground pork with the next six ingredients in a large bowl and mixing well until completely incorporated.
- Roll out the meatballs into any size you like, I prefer small ½ ounce size meatballs. Then place them onto an ungreased sheet pan or cookie sheet pan and roast them in the oven for 30-40 minutes, or until well browned. When finished drain the excess grease and remove any egg residue that may form around them.
- While the meatballs are in the oven heat the olive oil over a medium high heat in a 12 quart sauce pot and then sauté the onions and celery until soft. Then add the garlic, anchovies and capers and continue to sauté a few minutes.
- Add the red wine and stir well then add the spices and the tomato products starting with the paste then the sauce and the remaining canned tomatoes. Stir well between each tomato product addition.
- Add the bay leaves and Worcestershire sauce and stir well, then reduce the heat and simmer uncovered. Stirring periodically to prevent any scorching at the bottom of the sauce pot. When the meatballs are done and drained well add then gently to the sauce and fold them into the sauce, allow the sauce to continue to simmer for 1 hour after the meatballs are added.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper if needed.
- Serve with freshly cooked angel hair pasta or your pasta of choice and then top with freshly grated cheese. I really like the bold flavor of mizithra cheese, but ricotta or hard parmesan are great too!
2 responses so far ↓
1 South of the Border // Aug 7, 2008 at 10:47 pm
Ah yes, I remember well when you sent me your recipe for spaghetti sauce a year or so ago. Great recipe, and I still use it. (Late comment because we just got back in town from our latest trip).
Best regards
Ed
2 Ryan Boudreaux // Aug 8, 2008 at 1:50 pm
Nice to see you back in the saddle (so to speak) Ed! Yes, this is a slight variation on the spaghetti sauce recipe, I did not add the beef base in this one, but it does add some more boldness and flavor to the dish.