ITALIAN GRAVY

By stepjo7269

Joey Cadle’s Italian Grandmother’s recipe

Ingredients

• Sauce:
• 6 T. sugar
• 2 T. sweet basil
• salt and pepper
• 3 (28 oz.) cans whole tomatoes with puree (Progresso)
• 3 small cans tomato paste
• 9 paste cans water
• 3 pods garlic, minced
• 1 T. oregano
• ½ tea. red pepper
• 1 T. olive oil
• ●Blend each can whole tomatoes in blender and pour into a large sauce pan.
• ●Blend each can of tomato paste with 3 cans water and add to pan with the tomatoes.
• ●Add remaining ingredients.
• ●Cover and simmer on low for 2-4 hrs.
• Meat balls:
• 3 lbs. ground chuck
• 30 saltine crackers
• 2 pods garlic, minced
• 4 T. grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
• 1 ½ T. sweet basil
• 1 ½ T. parsley flakes
• 3 eggs
• Salt and pepper
• ●Add all ingredients in a bowl and mix well with wet hands.
• ●Roll into balls (double golf ball size).
• ●Lightly brown in vegetable oil in skilled. (Don’t get oil too hot.)
• ●Sear only--don’t cook.
• ●Put meat balls into sauce after the sauce has cooked 1 hr.
• Lasagna:
• 1 box lasagna noodles
• 28 oz. ricotta cheese
• 12-16 oz. Mozzarella cheese
• 1 C. Parmesan or Romano cheese
• sauce & 3 meat balls
• Salt and pepper
• ●Put pasta on to boil with salt and dash of olive oil. When done, drain noodles.
• ●Mix ricotta cheese with 3 mashed meat balls.
• ●Mix 1 C. Parmesan or Romano and 2-3 cups sauce. Salt and pepper to taste.
• ●Spray or grease bottom and sides of lasagna pan to prevent sticking.
• ●Put a layer of sauce, a layer of noodles, then cheese mixture, then sauce, then mozzarella. Repeat these steps saving enough to end with the following top layer: noodles, sauce, mozzarella with Parmesan or Romano sprinkled on top.
• ●Bake @ 375 F. for 30-45 min.

Details

Servings 12

Preparation

Step 1

●Makes meatballs or lasagna as above.