Ingredients
- Breadballs
- 1 cup water
- 1 large egg
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 (16 ounce) loaf Italian bread, torn into small pieces
- 1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese
- 6 tablespoons olive oil
- Sauce
- 1 onion, minced
- Salt and pepper
- 2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 cups water
- 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes
- 1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Preparation
Step 1
Combine water, egg, garlic, parsley, basil and pepper in large bowl. Add bread and parmesan and mix with hands until well combined. Using wet hands, form mixture into 1 ½ inch breadballs (you should have about 30).
Heat ¼ cup oil in dutch oven over medium high heat until shimmering. Cook half of breadballs without moving until well browned on bottom, 2 to 4 minutes. Continue to cook, turning gently, until well browned all over, about 5 minutes longer. Transfer to bowl. Repeat with remaining oil and breadballs.
Pour off all but 1 tablespoon oil from pot. Add onion and ½ teaspoon salt and cook over medium heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomato paste, sugar, garlic, oregano, pepper flakes and ¼ teaspoon pepper and cook until tomato paste begins to brown, 2 to 4 minutes. Add water, tomatoes, and tomato sauce and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer covered, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour.
Carefully add browned breadballs to pot and continue to simmer, covered, until sauce is slightly thickened and breadballs are tender about 30 minutes. Off heat, stir in parsley and season with salt and pepper. Serve, sprinkling with parmesan.