Homemade Meatballs and Marinara

Over the holidays, we have so many big meals like turkey and ham with all the trimmings. By the time Christmas is over, I'm so tired of big, elaborate meals and am craving something simple like pasta with marinara sauce. I'll eat spaghetti sauce from a jar in a pinch, but I won't like it one bit. Making homemade is so easy and it tastes so much fresher and brighter.

 

For the sauce:

 

1/2 c. olive oil

2 onions, diced

4-6 cloves garlic, minced

2 28 oz. cans of San Marzano tomatoes (or 8 cups of fresh tomatoes - although I really think the canned ones are better in this scenario)

2 T. chopped parsley

1 t. dry basil (or 1 T. fresh basil)

1 t. salt (more if you use fresh tomatoes)

1/2 t. ground black pepper

1 t. dry oregano (or 1 T. fresh oregano)

6. T. tomato paste

 

Saute the garlic and onion in the olive oil until it's soft and golden. Puree the tomatoes (in batches) in a blender and add them to the pot. Stir in parsley, basil, salt and pepper. Bring the sauce to a boil, turn down to simmer, and cook with the lid ajar for 30 minutes. Add the tomato paste and oregano and cook for 15 more minutes.

 

The sauce is excellent if you stop there. But, if you like meatballs you can add them to the sauce during the last 15 minutes of cooking.

 

For the meatballs:

 

Mix 2 lightly beaten eggs with 1/2 cup of water and 4 crustless pieces of white bread. Stir with a fork until everything is blended into a soft mush. Add the egg mixture, 1/2 c. grated parmesan cheese, 1 T. dried parsley, 1 t. salt, 1/4 t. pepper and 1 t. dried Italian seasoning to a pound of ground beef. With your hands, mix everything together. Don't overwork it, or the meatballs will be tough. Form the mixture into bite size meatballs and cook at 350 for 25 minutes. Add the meatballs to the sauce during the last 15 minutes of cooking.

 

This recipe makes a huge batch of sauce. I usually freeze it into several containers to thaw and use later.

Done