READY IN 4+ hrs

Old Fashioned Sicilian Succo

Read Reviews (41)

"My Nana used to cook this for me when I was young and as she prepared things and we waited for the sauce to finish, she'd tell me great stories about her life in Sicily and other secret business! This recipe is the best sauce I've ever had- I really think it can bring the family together. Just prepare it and you'll see that when dinner time comes everyone's mouths will be watering because of the great smell, the entire family can gather around the table and there will be enough for everyone, I promise! Good for vegetarians too-just substitute 2 1/2 pounds of chopped zucchini for the meatballs." — Joiamia

Directions

In a large pot mix together garlic, tomato sauce, tomato paste, parsley and basil. Bring sauce to a boil and then turn down the heat and simmer.
In a large bowl mix together the ground beef, ground pork, bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, garlic powder and parsley. Shape into balls the size of a child's fist. In a skillet, fry meatballs in hot olive oil until brown. Add to sauce mixture. Simmer over low heat for four hours.

Kitchen-Friendly View

PREP 30 mins
COOK 4 hrs
READY IN 4 hrs 30 mins

Footnotes

Cook's Note:
You can make the sauce with either a 2-pound beef shoulder, pork rump, or the meatball recipe included here. For a vegetarian version of the sauce, substitute 2 1/2 pounds of zucchini.

Reviews More Reviews

Most Helpful Positive Review

Apr 27, 2011

I first made and reviewed this in January 2007, and I have made many, many times since. It is our absolute favorite meatball and sauce recipe. However...I do not like this made with tomato sauce, and I also bake my meatballs for a few minutes to brown rather than fry. I use crushed or ground tomatoes, and I always add chopped onion. Sometimes I add chopped roasted red peppers or carrots for a little sweetness if my tomatoes are particuarly acidic. Leftover sauce, makes a great pizza sauce. We used it on the Brick-oven pizza from this site (another favorite of ours), and it's wonderful--try adding thin slices of the meatballs to the pizza before popping in the oven--fabulous! We sometimes double the meatball recipe and make meatball sandwiches. It's also fantastic in lasagna. We love this sauce and the meatballs, too.

—wisweetp

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Most Helpful Critical Review

Jul 10, 2007

Pretty good. Substituted a can of crushed for the sauce. Added a splash of red wine. I prefer using stale baguette buzzed in the blender then soaked in a little half and half instead of boxed bread crumbs. Also you needn't cook the meatballs in the fry pan, they can gently simmer in the sauce and their texture will be much softer. Don't leave the pork out of the meatballs! Mangia

—SURFWENCH

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48 Ratings

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Mar 29, 2005

I really love these meatballs, although I don't make them exactly as the recipe says. Since I'm only cooking for two, I only use 1 lb of ground beef and omit the pork all together. I use 1/3 cup each of bread crumbs/parmesan cheese. This makes plenty for 2. I follow the recipe for the tomato sauce exactly, and it always comes out great. I've made this recipe many times. I've served it over pasta, I've tweaked the recipe slightly to make it a "sweet and sour" meatball dish, and I've also made meatball subs out of it (french loaf cut in half with the middle scooped out, toasted under the broiler until just a little "crunchy", then slice the meatballs in half and lay on the bread, spoon a little sauce over all, add mozzarella cheese on top, stick back under the broiler until melted and viola!). Really versatile, tasty recipe that I will continue to use. Thank you for sharing!

—NATALIESHD

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Sep 02, 2003

I used this recipe for the meatballs only and made the Best Marinara Sauce Yet to go along with them. They turned out really tasty. I used all ground pork and 1 large link of hot italian sausage. (Hubby used all of the ground beef the night before in his burgers)! I also added some grated Romano cheese along with the parmesan and a dash of salt and pepper. I baked my meatballs at 350 for about half and hour rather than pan-frying them. I was able to drain off quite a bit of oil. I let them simmer in the sauce for a while and they gave off a real "meaty" taste which we all enjoyed. Thanks Joiamia, this was good.

—JOSIE

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Jul 15, 2009

I have been searching for a recipe to resemble make my husband's Sicilian grandmother's homemade sauce, and this is the closest I have come! Alleluia! If you are used to American spaghetti sauce, this is not it. This is the real deal Italian stuff from the homeland. I pretty much followed the recipe to a t, but made a few additions: half of cup heavy cream and a cup of parm to the sauce to try and cut back on the acidity (parm was a mistake, it became too salty, next time I'll try carrots). Followed the meat-a ball :) instructions exactly and added six links of hot Italian sausage. TIP: don't pre-cook the meatballs (or sausage), just gently add to sauce and stir occasionally. They'll cook during the four hour simmering and will come out perfectly. If you are looking for authentic Italian meatballs and gravy, look no more.

—nkgreco

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Feb 03, 2004

If you're looking for that authentic Italian taste you remember when you visited Italy...this is it. It's easy and simple to make and there are tons of leftovers. I made smaller sized meatballs and only used beef. Still came out fabulous! Now thats a spicy meatball! Mmm...

—Ewa Lamb

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Sep 23, 2003

Used all beef and made only half the meatballs - used minced garlic (and doubled the amount of garlic called for) and sauce was amazing. Thanks so much for such a super easy WONDERFUL recipe.

—Tracey

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May 14, 2006

I've made this twice now and both times it was wonderful. This is almost as good as my Italian Grandmother's recipe.

—PLANETJAI

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Nutrition

Calories
233 kcal
12%

Carbohydrates
17.4 g
6%

Cholesterol
46 mg
15%

Fat
11.3 g
17%

Fiber
3.4 g
14%

Protein
17.3 g
35%

Sodium
1044 mg
42%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Nutritional Information

Old Fashioned Sicilian Succo

Serving Size: 1/20 of a recipe
Servings Per Recipe: 20
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 233
Calories from Fat: 102

% Daily Value *
Total Fat 11.3g 17 %
Saturated Fat 4.5g 22 %
Cholesterol 46mg 15 %
Sodium 1044mg 42 %
Potassium 924mg 26 %
Total Carbohydrates 17.4g 6 %
Dietary Fiber 3.4g 14 %
Protein 17.3g 35 %
Sugars 9.4g
Vitamin A 20 %
Vitamin C 28 %
Calcium 11 %
Iron 35 %
Thiamin 31 %
Niacin 61 %
Vitamin B6 23 %
Magnesium 17 %
Folate 16 %

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.
(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.