Growing up, my nana would make this during holidays – and really any time we got together as a family. As she got older, my mom took over the duties. This Christmas, my brother made a batch and I decided that I need this in my life regularly. So I asked my mom for the recipe, which you can find below1.
Enjoy!
Meatballs
1 1/2 lbs ground beef
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Sprinkle of parsley flakes
Scant cup (~3/4 cup) bread crumbs
1/2 tsp garlic salt
Mix everything together and roll into balls. Bake at 350ºF for 20 minutes, or until browned.
Sausage
3/4 lb hot Italian sausage links
3/4 lb mild or sweet Italian sausage links
Cut into 2-3 inch pieces and cook in a frying pan on the stove until they reach 160ºF. If I’m doing both hot and mild, I cut one shorter than the other so we can tell them apart.
Sauce
1 can tomato puree
1 small can tomato paste
1 can water
Pinch of red pepper flakes
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp oregano
Cook until thick, then add the meatballs and sausage. Cover and simmer for 1 1/2-2 hours.
I usually double the recipe when I make it.