Italian Spaghetti Sauce with Meatballs
Italian Spaghetti Sauce with Meatballs is our favorite way to enjoy spaghetti. This is a fantastic homemade spaghetti sauce with homemade meatballs. It's loosely based on a vintage Fanny Farmer recipe and makes a very thick sauce that can easily be made in the crockpot or on top of the stove. If you enjoy chunky spaghetti sauce recipes, this one is perfect!
Equipment
- 1 large stock pot with lid to cook spaghetti noodles
- 1 colander to drain spaghetti noodles
- 1 large crock pot
- 1 sharp knife to cut vegetables
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- 1 large mixing bowl
- 1 wooden spoon
- 1 small microwaveable bowl
- 1 18x26" cookie sheet pan
- 1 spatula
Ingredients
SPAGHETTI SAUCE:
- 29 oz. can tomato puree
- 29 oz. can diced tomatoes undrained
- 1 12-oz. can tomato paste
- 1 large onion sliced and separated into rings
- 8 oz. can sliced mushrooms drained
- 2-3 cloves garlic sliced or minced (I use 1 heaping tablespoon minced garlic from a jar)
- 1 heaping tablespoon dried parsley
- 1 heaping teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 heaping teaspoon dried basil
- 2 heaping tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 tsp. sea salt
- 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
- 3 shakes red pepper flakes if desired
- 2-3 whole bay leaves
MEATBALLS:
- 1 lb. 96% lean ground beef or sirloin (better to use meat with less fat and get 96% lean especially if you want to add raw meatballs to crockpot)
- 2 tbsp. dry onion flakes minced
- 2 tbsp. dried parsley
- 1/2-1 tsp. sea salt
- 1/4-1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
- 1 stick unsalted butter melted (1/2 cup)
- 1 to 1 1/2 cups Italian style bread crumbs or Gluten Free Italian Bread Crumbs
Instructions
SPAGHETTI SAUCE:
- Put all in a crockpot that has been sprayed with cooking spray and let simmer on high for about 3 to 4 hours or low 5-6 hours.
- Add meatballs, if desired.
- Or cook on stove top about an hour on a low-medium heat.
- Remove bay leaves before serving.
MEATBALLS:
- Melt butter in microwave.
- Add enough crumbs that mixture is not wet, but not so dry you can’t stir it either.
- Put in large mixing bowl with other ingredients.
- Mix well with hands until well mixed.
- Spray large cookie sheet with cooking spray (one with an edge).
- Heat oven to 350°.
- Shape mixture into small meatballs trying to make sure there are no cracks in your meatballs.
- Place on sprayed cookie sheet.
- Bake about 20-30 minutes or so until well browned (not burned!).
- Remove from cookie sheets onto paper towels to absorb any excess grease.
- Add to spaghetti sauce and serve with cooked spaghetti.
Notes
NOTE: This makes a thick spaghetti sauce which we prefer over thin sauces.
NOTE: If you like bell pepper in your tomato sauce, add 1 bell pepper, diced, or cut in strips.
NOTE: The original recipe called for the meatballs to be fried in butter. But I found that method caused them to get too burned, and they are softer – melt-in-your-mouth when you bake them rather than fry them.
NOTE: You can also add raw meatballs to sauce and cook in crockpot for 4-6 hours. But you must use 96% lean beef for that to work or you will end up with too much grease in your sauce.
NOTE: I usually cook on high about 3 hours and low 4-6 hours in the crockpot.
NOTE: If you're trying to make this recipe gluten free, I use 4C brand gluten free Italian-style breadcrumbs for the meatballs and Ronzoni gluten free spaghetti. I purchase both of them at Wal-Mart.
© Can’t Stay Out of the Kitchen
Nutrition
Calories: 244kcalCarbohydrates: 26gProtein: 13gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.4gCholesterol: 44mgSodium: 680mgPotassium: 764mgFiber: 5gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 833IUVitamin C: 20mgCalcium: 115mgIron: 5mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!