Spaghetti and Meatballs

I think sometimes it may appear from my blog that all I eat is sweets, but that is definitely not the case.  I try to post a wide variety of recipes, both sweet and savory.  Even though dessert is my favorite part of the day, we all need more well-rounded meals to eat before that time comes.  Homemade spaghetti and meatballs is a classic recipe that should be a part of everyone’s repertoire, so I decided it was time to post my favorite version.  This recipe makes a large quantity of both meatballs and sauce so it can be used for multiple meals.  We made meatball subs with the leftovers one night (AWESOME!), and then ate the remaining marinara sauce over pasta a couple weeks later.  I haven’t tried it myself, but I think this would freeze well and would be a nice meal to thaw out at a moment’s notice.  

Spaghetti and Meatballs
Ingredients:
For the sauce:
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 (28 oz.) can tomato puree
1 (28 oz.) can tomato sauce
2 tsp. dried parsley
1 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
2 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. sugar
1/2 cup of water (or more) 

For the meatballs:
1/2 cup bread crumbs, divided
1/4 cup milk
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp. dried parsley
1/2 cup grated Romano cheese
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 lb. ground beef, pork and veal mixture (or 1 lb. ground sirloin)

For serving:
Freshly cooked spaghetti
Shredded Parmesan cheese
Minced fresh basil

Directions: 
To make the sauce, heat the olive oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat.  Add the onion to the pot and saute until tender, 5-8 minutes.  Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, stirring, about 1 minute.  Add the tomato puree, tomato sauce, parsley, basil, oregano, salt and sugar.  Add water to thin the sauce out to your desired consistency (I would estimate that I add about 1/2 cup).  Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer.  Let simmer for at least 2 hours. 

To make the meatballs, in a medium mixing bowl combine 1/4 cup of the bread crumbs with the milk.  Let the bread crumbs soak for 10 minutes.  Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl and mix thoroughly.  Form the mixture into meatballs (I usually get about 20-25 out of one batch).  Add the meatballs to the simmering sauce about 45 minutes before the sauce will be finished cooking.  Cover and let simmer until the meatballs are cooked through, 35-45 minutes.  

Transfer freshly cooked pasta to serving dishes.  Top each serving with sauce and meatballs.  Garnish with shredded Parmesan and fresh basil, if desired.  

Source: adapted from Brown Eyed Baker