I love how food can be so nostalgic- the smell of garlic for me is home and when my Granny was cooking Sunday Sauce- we knew we were right where we were supposed to be! This has been a staple recipe that we share with others, it’s how we keep traditions alive! And I am not going to lie- when a mama rolls a meatball, it is just the perfect way to say I love you to her family & friends.
This is the recipe that we serve at Salt & Acres! We have become so busy but our meatballs are always made with love by either my Mama or myself.
Here is the recipe to make these at home. For warning- we do not measure because we do it a little different every time 🙂 How to achieve the perfect dish- do not skimp on the ingredients and always use HIGH QUALITY ingredients! It makes a huge difference!
Ingredients:
- Ground Beef (97/3 lean-to-fat ratio): 1 lb
- Italian Sausage (preferably hot; mild or medium is fine- local small batch is better): 1 lb
- Eggs: 2 large (1 per lb of meat)
- Parmigiano Reggiano: 1/2 cup, grated (good quality!!)
- Italian Breadcrumbs: 1/2 cup (or adjust for texture)
- Granulated Garlic: 1 Tablespoon
- Salt: 1 teaspoon
- Black Pepper: 1 teaspoon
- Fresh Parsley: 1/4 cup, finely chopped
- Dried Basil: 1 Tablespoon (or 2 Tablespoon fresh, chopped)
Instructions:
Step One: Get all of your ingredients out and ready to add in! Like I mentioned, the spices are always something we continue to add in through out mixing! Prep your eggs (whisk them in a small bowl before you add).
Step Two: In a Large Bowl- add ground beef (breaking it up as you add it) and the ground sausage (also breaking into smaller sections around the bowl- this helps mix)
Step Three: Start the sprinkling! Sprinkle in your bread crumb, cheese and seasonings. After you generously sprinkle over the top you can add your eggs.
Step Four: MIX! You are going to use your HANDS!! Mix, twist and squeeze. Mix everything thoroughly until well-combined but don’t overwork the meat.
Tip the mixture is cold and there is nothing like the feeling of freezing hands. I always mix with warm water running and when I can’t handle it any more I run them under the warm water (wash my hands) and then pick back up!
Step Five: Asses your mixture. This is where we determine what else we need. Here is how you do it. 1. Is the mixture too wet/sticky if you are noticing you can see the wetness of the egg add additional bread crumb and cheese 2. Can you smell the garlic? This is very scientific I know but if you can’t smell the garlic when you bend down to the mixture you do NOT have enough 3. Color- do you feel that you have enough parsley/basil? This adds color and some flavor but really more color!
Step Six: Form the mixture into 24 equal-sized balls (around 1 to 1.5 inches in diameter).
Step Seven: Drop into your sauce and do not mix with a spoon (shake the pot to move the meatballs around) so that you don’t have to worry about them breaking up! Bring to a boil and then turn down to low. These need to cook for a minimum of 1 hour but the longer the better- I prefer close to 3 hours on low.
Sunday Sauce
Ingredients:
- Canned Tomato Sauce- 8 cans (I like the Costco’s tomato sauce- you don’t need paste with that one- the only ingredient in this is tomatoes nothing else)
- Olive Oil- 1-2 Tablespoons
- Fresh Garlic- 2-3 cloves minced
- Dried Basil– 2-3 Tablespoons
- Italian Seasonings- 2 Tablespoons
- Pinch of Red Pepper and Salt
- Parmigiano Reggiano- 1/4 cup
- Optional– add in some spare ribs & link sausage into the sauce. This helps with flavor!
Step One: In a large pot, bring to temp and add in olive oil and fresh garlic. Brown the garlic until it is aromatic (not burnt). Add in the cans of tomato sauce and mix
Step Two: Add in all of your seasonings, bring to boil.
Step Three: Once boiling, add in your cheese and your optional meat + meatballs. Bring back to a boil and then turn to low (this will burn easily) and cook for a minimum of 1 hour, checking frequently.
