This recipe is near and dear to my heart! It is my Yaya’s recipe and every time I make it, it brings me right back to my childhood when she would make this for spaghetti night on Fridays. Not to get too sappy, but I have an intense emotional connection to this dish! This is a super simple, but classic recipe for marinara sauce that cooks on low for a couple of hours. Add the homemade meatballs in the last hour of cooking, and you are halfway to a delicious pasta night!
Details
4 servings
10 minutes
2-3 hours
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Ingredients for sauce
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 28 oz can tomato puree
1-2 large cans of water
1 small can tomato paste
2 tbsp garlic powder
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
2 tbsp oregano
2 tbsp basil
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
2-4 tsp sugar
Ingredients for meatballs
1 lb ground beef
1 egg
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup dried plain breadcrumbs
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
1 tsp parsley
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
Directions for sauce
- Add all ingredients to large stock pot or Dutch oven. Stir to combine.
- Cover and simmer on low for 2-3 hours, stirring every so often.
- The meatballs will be added to the sauce in the last hour of cooking.
Directions for meatballs
- Add all ingredients, except olive oil, to a large mixing bowl. Mix everything together using your hands, but careful not to overmix! You want everything just incorporated.
- Heat olive oil over medium heat in skillet. Form meat mixture into 12 equal size balls and place in skillet. Again, you don’t want to over work the meat; think light hands!
- Brown meatballs on all sides. You also may want to grab a splatter guard here; the oil might splatter.
- Once meatballs have been browned, uncover sauce and add meatballs to marinara.
- Continue to simmer sauce and meatballs on low, uncovered, for the last hour of cooking.
- Taste the sauce towards the end of cooking. If the sauce tastes tin-like because of the canned tomatoes, add a couple tsp of sugar. You may need more salt here as well.
- Serve sauce and meatballs over your favorite spaghetti or pasta, and top with fresh parmesan cheese.
- Enjoy!
Note: The meatball recipe makes 4 servings, but the sauce makes much more. Feel free to store in an airtight container and freeze a portion of the sauce for later use!
