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Grandma's Old Italian Spaghetti Sauce with Meatballs

By: cherbear 
"Grandma's sauce is an old recipe that she brought over from Italy. It is a long process with strange ingredients, but they all come together to make the best sauce I have ever had. The long process is worth your trouble the minute you take your first bite."

This Kitchen Approved Recipe has an average star rating of 3.5 Rate/Review | Read Reviews (6)

Prep Time:
1 Hr 30 Min
Cook Time:
6 Hrs 30 Min
Ready In:
8 Hrs

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Original Recipe Yield 24 meatballs with sauce
 

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3 whole garlic cloves, peeled
  • 2 pig's feet
  • 1 pound pork neck bones
  • 2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • 2 (28 ounce) cans tomato puree
  • 1 tablespoon white sugar
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
  •  
  • 1 (16 ounce) loaf fresh Italian bread, torn into 2-inch pieces
  • 1 cup water
  • 6 eggs, beaten
  • 1 pound ground pork
  • 1 pound ground veal
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
  • salt and pepper to taste
  •  
  • 6 hard-boiled eggs, peeled (optional)

Directions

  1. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat in the bottom of a large saucepan, and fry the garlic cloves 5 to 8 minutes, until brown and fragrant. Remove the garlic cloves and set aside. Place the pig's feet and pork neck bones in the saucepan and fry, turning occasionally, until the meat and bones have browned, about 15 minutes.
  2. Return the garlic cloves to the saucepan, and stir in the tomato paste and 1 1/2 cups of water. Bring to a boil, and pour in the tomato puree. Reduce heat to low, and simmer for about 3 hours, stirring from the bottom often to prevent burning, until the pig's feet are tender and the mixture begins to thicken. Stir in the sugar, pepper, and baking soda. Continue to simmer while you prepare the meatballs.
  3. Soak the torn bread with 1 cup of water in a bowl. Squeeze excess water out of the bread, and place the bread in a large bowl with the 6 beaten eggs, ground pork, ground veal, and ground beef. Mix thoroughly and form into 24 meatballs about 2 1/2 inches in diameter.
  4. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat, stir in the minced garlic and chopped fresh basil, let them cook for about 1 minute, and then add the meatballs. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and fry them on all sides until brown, about 15 minutes, working in batches, if necessary.
  5. Place the browned meatballs, along with the oil, garlic, and basil from the skillet into the sauce, stirring lightly to avoid breaking them. Add the whole hard-boiled eggs, and simmer for about 1 1/2 more hours, until the meatballs are cooked, the sauce is thick, and all the flavors have blended.

Nutritional Information open nutritional information

Amount Per Serving  Calories: 599 | Total Fat: 29.4g | Cholesterol: 332mg Powered by ESHA Nutrient Database

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The reviewer gave this recipe 1 stars. This recipe averages a 3.5 star rating.
Reviewed on May 18, 2012 by PAMMIEE   view full review
I grew up in Little Italy in Boston. I knew better than to try another gravy recipe other than...
The reviewer gave this recipe 5 stars. This recipe averages a 3.5 star rating.
Reviewed on Mar. 31, 2009 by Roxy   view full review
The recipe was absolutely delicious. It was long process. I did everything in the morning then...
The reviewer gave this recipe 1 stars. This recipe averages a 3.5 star rating.
Reviewed on May 18, 2012 by tina   view full review
Way way too bland and not enough water or broth . I agree woith the other cook I am Italian,...
The reviewer gave this recipe 5 stars. This recipe averages a 3.5 star rating.
Reviewed on Jan. 21, 2010 by kim4013   view full review
This is the best recipe for spaghetti sauce that I have found.. Excellent! What a flavor the...
The reviewer gave this recipe 5 stars. This recipe averages a 3.5 star rating.
Reviewed on Apr. 5, 2011 by lizardsgarden Supporting Member (Click to learn more about Supporting Membership)  view full review
Like all cooks we use recipes as a base. I added a couple of spices to the sauce and deleted...
The reviewer gave this recipe 4 stars. This recipe averages a 3.5 star rating.
Reviewed on Oct. 26, 2009 by mcol0314   view full review
only made the meatballs and used jarred sauce to finish cooking them in. pretty good, make...

 

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