Dr. Pat’s RecipeBox: Italian Sauce with Meatballs and Sausage

My mother made homemade sauce every Saturday, and my sister and I would wake up to mouth-watering smells coming from the kitchen. I loved brunch on these Saturdays…homemade meatballs with plenty of sauce and Romano cheese, served in a bowl for dunking fresh Italian bread!

This is a quick, low-fat version of an Italian classic. My mother’s sauce took hours to prepare, but this hearty ragu won’t cost you all day in the kitchen. Make the sauce from scratch using homegrown or canned organic tomatoes, or use a high quality jar sauce (like Classico Organic Pasta Sauce with Tomato, Herbs and Spices) and add the meats to simmer. Flavors will meld in less than an hour!

Italian Sauce with Meatballs and Sausage

1 lb. Italian sausage (regular or turkey)

Meatballs:
1 lb. ground beef, 93% lean
¼ cup breadcrumbs
¼ cup grated Romano cheese
1 tsp. dried sweet basil
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 egg, slightly beaten

Sauce (omit if using purchased):
2 cans (14.5 oz. each) organic diced tomatoes, or 2 to 3 lbs. fresh tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced
1 can (6 oz.) organic tomato paste
1 cup water (more or less)
1 tsp. dried sweet basil or Italian seasoning
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a rimmed cookie sheet with parchment paper; spray lightly with cooking spray. Place the ground beef in a large mixing bowl, add the next 5 ingredients and mix well. Moisten hands, then loosely form meatballs using ¼ cup of the meat mixture for each meatball. Place the meatballs onto the parchment-lined cookie sheet and bake for about 25 minutes (a light drizzle or spray of olive oil before baking will enhance browning). Oven-fry the sausage at the same time, making sure to prick the casing before placing on the rack of a shallow broiler pan.

While the meats cook, start the sauce. Cook the tomatoes until soft enough to break up, then add the remaining ingredients. Simmer covered, and when the meats are done, add them to the sauce. Simmer the sauce and meats together for an hour (less if using prepared sauce).

Serve with pasta, plenty of grated Romano cheese…and crusty Italian bread!

Buon appetito!