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Italian Grandma’s Spaghetti and Meatballs

Although this is not a recipe for a “lazy” gastronome, like me, it’s one of my family’s favorites.  Many years ago, a friend taught me to make her grandma’s recipe, complete with meatballs. And grandma was born and raised in Italy!  It doesn’t take a lot of work, it just takes a lot of time.

grandma's

Note:  When you chop an onion, don’t cut the root end off.  Cut only the top side leaving the root intact and the onion will stay together.  This is a great method if you are only using part of the onion and want to save the rest –

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First, make grandma’s meatballs.

Mix together the ground beef, onion, parsley, egg, 1 teaspoon of salt and breadcrumbs.

Mix all the ingredients together well and form into balls.  I make them about 1 ½ to 2 inches, but you can make whatever size you like.  There will be onion pieces left in the bowl, but that’s OK.  Just leave them there for now.

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grandma’s

Using a large kettle, brown on all them in 2 Tablespoons olive oil, turning gently with a slotted spoon.

grandma's

Carefully remove them from the oil with the slotted spoon and set aside.

While the meatballs are browning, cut the Italian sausage links into 1 inch chunks.

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And now for the sausage –

Add them to the pot with 1 cup water, the garlic and the pieces of onion that are left in the bowl.  Bring to a boil and simmer for about 15 minutes.

meatballs

Lift the sausage pieces out and set aside with the meatballs.  (It’s best to refrigerate them at this point.  They won’t go in the sauce for a couple of hours.)

You’ve done the hard part.  Now comes the simmering.

Add the tomato paste to the water you cooked the sausage in.  Mix well and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 30 minutes, until it’s a very thick consistency.  Cover lightly or use a spatter shield.  It will spatter a lot!

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Next, add the tomato sauce and 1 cup of water.  Continue to simmer for the next two hours, adding water as needed and stirring occasionally.  You’ll end up with a thickened sauce.

Open the can of tomatoes and pour in the juice.  Using your hands, crush the tomatoes, squeezing until the start to come apart and put them in the pot.  Add the oregano and ¼ cup parmesan.

Continue to simmer for about 15 minutes, then return the meatballs and sausage to the pot.  Simmer for about 30 more minutes, stirring often.  The sauce should be thick.

grandma's

While the sauce simmers, cook the pasta according to the package directions.  We prefer al dente – which simply means its soft but still slightly firm.  Drain the pasta and mix in 2 Tablespoons olive oil and 2 Tablespoons parmesan.

Add about 1/2 cup of the pasta water to the sauce and let the sauce simmer another 15 minutes.

Serve it up!

Place the pasta in a bowl with lots of grandma’s sauce and meatballs on top.  Let each person top their bowl with more parmesan.

Serve with a crisp salad and garlic bread or bread sticks.

grandma's

Serves 4-6

© Copyright 2015 The Lazy Gastronome

Print [10]
Spaghetti with Meatballs and Sausage
Although this is not a recipe for a “lazy” gastronome, like me, it’s one of my family’s favorites. Many years ago, a friend taught me to make her grandma’s recipe, and grandma was born and raised in Italy! It doesn’t take a lot of work, it just takes a lot of time.
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: marinara, meatballs, pasta, sausage, tomatoes
Servings: 4 people
Author: HelenFern
Ingredients
Meatballs
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 1 large egg
  • 3 Tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
  • 1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup, olive oil, plus 4 Tablespoons
Marinara Sauce
  • 1 pound hot Italian sausage links
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 2 Tablespoons dried oregano
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1/4 cup canned parmesan cheese, plus 2 Tablespoons
  • 1/2 small can tomato paste
  • 16 oz. can tomato sauce
  • 32 oz. can whole Italian tomatoes
  • 15 oz. package dried spaghetti pasta
  • Water
Instructions
Meatballs
  1. First, make the meatballs. Mix together the ground beef, onion, parsley, egg, 1 teaspoon of salt and breadcrumbs.
  2. Mix all the ingredients together well and form into balls. I make them about 1 ½ to 2 inches, but you can make whatever size you like. There will be onion pieces left in the bowl, but that’s ok. Just leave them there for now.
  3. Using a large kettle, brown on all them in 2 Tablespoons olive oil, turning gently with a slotted spoon. Carefully remove them from the oil with the slotted spoon and set aside.
Marinara Sauce
  1. While the meatballs are browning, cut the Italian sausage links into 1 inch chunks.
  2. Add them to the pot with 1 cup water, the garlic and the pieces of onion that are left in the bowl. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 15 minutes. Lift the sausage pieces out and set aside with the meatballs. (It’s best to refrigerate them at this point. They won’t go in the sauce for a couple of hours.)
  3. You’ve done the hard part. Now comes the simmering. Add the tomato paste to the water you cooked the sausage in. Mix well and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 30 minutes, until it’s a very thick consistency. Cover lightly or use a spatter shield. It will spatter a lot!
  4. Next, add the tomato sauce and 1 cup of water. Continue to simmer for the next two hours, adding water as needed and stirring occasionally. You’ll end up with a thickened sauce.
  5. Open the can of tomatoes and pour in the juice. Using your hands, crush the tomatoes, squeezing until the start to come apart and put them in the pot. Add the oregano and ¼ cup parmesan. Continue to simmer for about 15 minutes, then return the meatballs and sausage to the pot. Simmer for about 30 more minutes, stirring often. The sauce should be thick.
  6. While the sauce simmers, cook the pasta according to the package directions. We prefer al dente – which simply means its soft but still slightly firm. Drain the pasta and mix in 2 Tablespoons olive oil and 2 Tablespoons parmesan.
  7. Add about 1/2 cup of the water from the pasta to the sauce. Let the sauce simmer another 15 minutes.

  8. Place the pasta in a bowl with the sauce on top. Let each person top their bowl with more parmesan.

Leave me a comment! I’d love to hear your thoughts.