Sauce:
One large can whole tomatoes quartered/diced up large pieces 32 oz.
One large can tomato puree 32 oz.
One large can crushed tomatoes 32 oz.
Tomato paste (2-6oz. or one 12oz can).
Add 6 oz. of water and 6 oz. dry red wine
5-6 minced cloves of garlic.
Italian seasoning to taste about 1/8 to 1/4 cup (use minced fresh oregano and basil).
A sprinkle of red pepper flakes, to taste.
Salt, I start with about 1tbsp (cuts down on the acidity) and a couple healthy twisted from the pepper mill.
1 cup of grated Pecorino/Romano cheese.

Meatballs:
I like to use about 2-3 pounds of meat mixture, equal parts of ground beef, course ground pork sausage, and veal. Again, it is the mix of different types of meat that really makes the sauce taste great. (Yields 22-25 meatballs)

About a ½-1 cup of Italian-seasoned breadcrumb (depends on wetness of the mix)
1 medium, diced Vidalia /yellow/white onion any will do
3 or 4 cloves of minced garlic
About ½ cup fresh finely chopped parsley if available
¼ to ½ cup of Italian seasoning
3 eggs beaten (add to meat after all other spices are mixed)
Salt and pepper to taste
A couple shakes of worcheshire sauce
½ cup of dry red wine and 1 cup of Romano cheese

Recipe by Lance Matteo
Home Made Italian Sauce and Meatballs

The sauce can contain a combination of Meats: Meatballs, Italian sausage, and Short ribs.

A note in memory of my Grandmother:

My grandmother (Helena DeMatteo) came from Italy when she was 16 years old and was just a wonderful cook. My recipe doesn’t quit taste like hers for the fact that the older generation used a lot of canned sauces and vegetables from the garden that were well seasoned with basil and garlic for a year or so in the vegetable cellar. The canned sauces in quart mason jars were able to soak in all the great flavors and spices because of the aging process. This has become a lost art in the younger generation today. God Bless you Grandma!

You can use a leaner meat, like pork chops, instead of the short ribs. I prefer the short-rib meat falling off the bone after slow-cooking 4-5 hours in the sauce.
You prepare the sauce, meatballs, and short ribs as follows. Then you simmer them all together in a large sauce pot 4-6 hours.

Sauce:
One large can whole tomatoes quartered/diced up large pieces 32 oz.
One large can tomato puree 32 oz.
One large can crushed tomatoes 32 oz.
Tomato paste (2-6oz. or one 12oz can).
Add 6 oz. of water and 6 oz. dry red wine
5-6 minced cloves of garlic.
Italian seasoning to taste about 1/8 to 1/4 cup (use minced fresh oregano and basil).
A sprinkle of red pepper flakes, to taste.
Salt, I start with about 1tbsp (cuts down on the acidity) and a couple healthy twisted from the pepper mill.
1 cup of grated Pecorino/Romano cheese.

Meatballs:
I like to use about 2-3 pounds of meat mixture, equal parts of ground beef, course ground pork sausage, and veal. Again, it is the mix of different types of meat that really makes the sauce taste great. (Yields 22-25 meatballs)

About a ½-1 cup of Italian-seasoned breadcrumb (depends on wetness of the mix)
1 medium, diced Vidalia /yellow/white onion any will do
3 or 4 cloves of minced garlic
About ½ cup fresh finely chopped parsley if available
¼ to ½ cup of Italian seasoning
3 eggs beaten (add to meat after all other spices are mixed)
Salt and pepper to taste
A couple shakes of worcheshire sauce
½ cup of dry red wine and 1 cup of Romano cheese

Hand-mix the meatball mixture loosely: Start sprinkling the meat with all the ingredients except the eggs, they will be mixed in after all the other ingredients are thoroughly mixed in. Make sure that the mixture is still moist when you form the meatballs, but not too wet. Key here is not to pack your meatballs like a snowball, but form them into a ball just enough to hold them together. This will keep the meatballs nice and tender after cooking.

I prefer to put the meatballs aside on a cookie sheet after forming, while I brown the rest of the meat (short ribs/cubed beef optional). You should brown/braze your meat to give it some char on the outside. After brazing any other meat you decide to use, drop it into the large sauce pot and push to the bottom. After you have included all of your spices and browned meats in the sauce pot, gently take your meatballs and add them to your sauce, pushing them down into the large sauce pot until all have been submerged into the sauce. Now you can sit back and enjoy that great glass of Cabernet wine you deserve after all the prep work. At this stage you will want to set back and let you sauce simmer at a low temperature for 2-3 hours without stirring the pot to prevent the meatballs from falling apart in the sauce. I prefer the above method but those of you that might like to heat the oven to 400 degrees, slide in the cookie sheet with the meatballs on it for ten to fifteen minutes. They just need to be brown on the outside, this helps to hold them together, and they will still be raw on the inside. This method will eliminate some of the excess run off from the meat but I feel it steals some of the flavor. Your choice.

If you decide to use Sausage instead of meatballs?
Sausage:
I use one package of sausage, but I will split one package of hot Italian sausage with one package sweet sausage. Brown the sausage in a skillet, and then place them in the sauce pot. Again, the meat will be raw inside.

Short Ribs:
I use two packages. I like to trim some of the fat off the ribs, but not all of it. Then I sprinkle the meat with garlic powder, salt, and black pepper. Then you brown the meat in a skillet, drain them a bit on paper towels, and put them each in the large pot with the sausage.

Putting all together:
This takes at least 1-2 hours prep time. Stir all the ingredients, gently add all your meatballs, and any other meats you decide to use, then bring all to a simmer cooking slowly for 4-6 hours careful not to burn the sauce at the bottom of the pan.
Simmer. After an hour or so taste to see if it needs more seasoning, add it to your taste. Remember, sauce will thicken up a bit after it is reheated another day down the road. As the sauce cooks a good portion of the day (after 2-3 hours gently stir, season to taste and continue to simmer into the 4-5 hours range), you should be able to gently stir
the sauce without breaking up the meatballs. Good Luck! Don’t be afraid to add or subtract ingredients to your tastes and likes. Bon Appetit!!!

This recipe currently has 0 comments. Add your own comment in the right hand menu.