Spaghetti Sauce with Meatballs
Ingredients
For the Meatballs:
- 8 ounces ground pork
- 8 ounces ground beef
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 garlic clove, peeled and minced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 3 tablespoons bread crumbs
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
For the Sauce:
- 1 onion, peeled and halved
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon Rouses Sicilian extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 cups canned tomatoes, puréed
- Pinch of sugar
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- ½ cup whole milk
- 1 pound spaghetti, cooked to taste
Directions
- In a large bowl, combine pork, beef, egg, Parmesan, garlic, oregano, bread crumbs, salt and pepper. Use your hands to lightly combine all ingredients, handling the mixture gently and as little as possible. Line a baking sheet with plastic wrap. Oil hands lightly so that meat mixture doesn’t stick to them. Shape heaping teaspoonfuls of the meat mixture into 1-inch balls; place the formed meatballs on the plastic and refrigerate.
- Combine onion, garlic and oregano in a food processor; purée until smooth. Combine butter and oil in a large, deep pan over low heat. When the butter has melted, add the onion and garlic mixture to the pan. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for around 10 minutes, but do not brown the mixture. Add the puréed canned tomatoes and 2 cups of water to the pan. Season with sugar. Add salt and pepper, to taste.
- Simmer the sauce for 10 minutes, then add the milk, bringing the sauce back to a simmer. Gently drop in the meatballs, one by one, so that they do not break. Make sure the meatballs are completely submerged in the sauce. Do not stir the contents of the pan. Cover the pan partially with a lid and let simmer for 20 minutes.
- Taste the sauce and adjust the seasonings if needed. Place cooked, warm pasta in a large serving bowl. Pour most of the sauce (reserving the meatballs) over the pasta, and toss to combine. Top the pasta and sauce with the meatballs, and serve.
