Fresh Tomato Sauce and Meatballs

By MLou10

Ingredients

• Meatballs:
• 2 Large onions, chopped
• 2-4 cloves fresh garlic,minced
• 1/3 cup Olive oil
• 5 cups fresh tomatoes, peeled and chopped (6-8 large tomatoes)
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1 Tblsp. Hungarian Sweet Paprika
• 1 tsp. California Basil
• 1-2 Tblsp. Turkish Oregano
• 1 Bay leaf
• 1/4-1/2 Penzeys freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 - 1 tsp. California Crushed Red peppers
• 2 6oz. cans tomato paste
• 1/4 cup fresh bread crumbs
• 4 cloves garlic, finely minced (1 tsp. minced garlic)
• 1 egg
• 1/4-1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp. Penzeys freshly ground pepper
• 1 lb. lean ground beef
• 1 Tblsp. flour for dusting

Preparation

Step 1

Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or stock pot. Add the onions and garlic and cook until soft. Stir in the tomatoes, salt, sugar and spices. Add the tomato paste. Heat slowly, stirring often. Bring to a simmer and cook for approximately 30 minutes. Add the cooked meatballs and continue cooking for 15 additional minutes.


Meatballs:

In a bowl combine the bread crumbs, garlic, egg, and seasonings with a fork. Add the meat and mix well. Form into 1-inch meatballs and dust with flour. Heat a non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs and brown on all sides(don't add oil unless you have to, to prevent sticking--then use just 1 Tblsp.) Drain on paper towels. Add the meatballs to fresh tomato sauce. Freeze extra meatballs separately for another time if not serving many people--allow 4-5 meatballs per person.