Nonna’s Sunday Sauce
In our house, Sunday was the day the whole family gathered to share a big meal and quality time. It was a special day for us. Nonna would wake up extra early to prepare her weekly signature sauce. She made the most amazing meatballs too! . The fragrant aroma of her sauce cooking and her meatballs frying was enough to wake up the heaviest of sleepers. Breakfast on Sunday mornings was always a meatball and a slice of bread topped with her sauce and some grated cheese. Everything always tasted amazing and filled with love.
This sauce is made with meatballs and sausages, but other meats can be used like spareribs, pork chops, beef braciole and pork braciole to make it even more flavorful.
Ingredients
Tomato Sauce - 2-28oz cans San Marzano crushed tomatoes
1 -12oz can tomato paste
4 cloves garlic chopped
½ onion finely chopped
extra virgin olive oil
salt
black pepper
red pepper flakes
12 fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup white wine
4 tbs sugar
Meat:
10 Italian Sausage
2 ½ lbs meatloaf mix
¾ cup reggiano parmigiana grated cheese
4 cloves garlic finely chopped
¾ cup breadcrumbs
6 eggs
¼ cup fresh parsley cut up small
Step 1. Start the sauce
- In a saucepan, cover the bottom with olive oil. Add 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper, 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes.
- Add chopped garlic and onion, sauté till onion is translucent and garlic is golden.
- Shut off heat. Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar, and white wine.
- Mix and cook over a medium heat. Taste and adjust sauce. If needed, add more sugar, wine, salt or pepper.
- Add the basil, cover and let simmer.
Step 2 prepare the meat
- In a large bowl, combine the meatloaf mixture, cheese, breadcrumbs, garlic, parsley and eggs. Mix well, if the mixture is too soft add more breadcrumbs, a little at a time till desired consistency. The mixture shouldn’t stick to your hands.
- Scoop up the meat mixture, about the size of your palm and start rolling into balls, yielding about 13 meatballs.
Step 3
- In a large skillet, cover the bottom with olive oil and heat up.
- Add the meatballs and start frying.
- When the underside is done cooking, flip over to fry the top.
- When meatballs are done frying move from skillet and place on a paper towel to drain.
- Add more oil to the skillet, heat up. Add the sausage.
- . let the underside cook and then flip.
- When done, add the sausage and the meatballs to the tomato sauce.
Step 4
Let the sauce simmer on low heat for about 1 hour. Serve with your favorite pasta topped with ricotta cheese. Enjoy!
