Meatballs and Three Day Marinara Sauce

By MooK

Ingredients

• Marinara
• 3 cups yellow onion, diced
• 4 teaspoons garlic, minced
• 3 cans (28 oz. each) whole plum tomatoes
• Reserved meatball pan drippings
• 1/2 cup dried parsley
• 1/2 cup dried basil
• 2 Tablespoons sugar
• 3 cans (6 oz each) tomato paste
• Parmesan cheese, grated
• Meatballs
• 2 cups unseasoned bread crumbs
• 1-1/2 cups Parmesan cheese, finely grated
• 1 cup whole milk
• 3 cups beef broth, divided
• 1 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 6 eggs, beaten
• 4 Tablespoons dried oregano leaves
• 2 Tablespoons garlic, minced
• 2 Tablespoons kosher salt
• 2 Tablespoons ground black pepper
• 4 teaspoons dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 4 lb. ground chuck
• T

Preparation

Step 1

Day One

In a large pot (I use my Dutch oven) sauté onions in oil over medium-high heat until translucent (about 6 minutes).  Stir in garlic and cook until you can smell it (about 30 seconds).  Add tomatoes, pan drippings from the meatballs, parsley, basil and sugar.  Simmer for one hour on low, uncovered.  Remove from heat.  Let cool completely and place in the fridge overnight.

Day Two

Remove sauce from the refrigerator and puree until smooth in the food processor in small batches.  Return sauce to the pot and add tomato paste.  Bring to a boil and simmer on low for one hour.  Remove from heat.  Let cool completely and place in the fridge overnight.

Day Three

Add cooked meatballs (as many as you are going to serve)  to the sauce and simmer uncovered until heated through (about 15 minutes).  Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions; drain.  Stir in the cooked pasta and toss well to coat.  Garnish with lots of grated Parmesan cheese.

Meatballs

In a large mixing bowl stir together bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, milk, 1 cup of beef broth, parsley, eggs, oregano, garlic, kosher salt, black pepper, basil, red pepper flakes and nutmeg.  Add ground chuck and mix thoroughly with a fork.  Using a fork prevents overmixing and compacting which can toughen meatballs.

The best way to shape meatballs is with a portioning scoop that has a retractable blade that releases the meat.  Make each meatball about 2" in diameter or 1.5 ounces each.  Coat a rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray and arrange the meatballs on a pan so they are not touching.  (You can get 35 meatballs on a tray and this recipe makes two trays so 70 meatballs.)

Cover the bottom of the pan with 1 cup of beef broth and bake for 25 minutes at 450 degrees. 

Remove meatballs from pan and pour pan juices into a large, glass (2 cup) measuring cup to be used for the sauce.  Repeat process for second tray of meatballs.  Cool meatballs completely, cover and keep refrigerated until use. 

Once you have pan juices from both trays, place measuring cup in the fridge for the fat to settle on the top (about 30 minutes).  Remove from the refrigerator and discard settled fat, reserving leftover pan juices.  Set aside.