walton_eats

Meatballs

3/4 lb extra lean ground beef
3/4 lb sweet italian sausage (bulk)
1 large yellow onion, 1/4" dice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano
1 cup bread crumbs (plain or Italian style, depending on your preference)
2 large eggs
1/4 cup minced broad-leaf parsley
1/2 cup water
Olive oil
Kosher salt
1 lb pasta
Marinara sauce

Coat a saute pan with olive oil. Heat to medium high. Saute onions 5-7 minutes until soft. Add garlic and a good tablespoon of salt and saute for 2-3 more minutes. Remove from heat and let cool

Combine beef, sausage, Parmigiano reggiano, bread crumbs, eggs and parsley, squishing it with your hands until it's all mixed together. Add cooled onion mixture and squish some more. Add water and squish some more. In a small fry pan, cook a tiny patty of meatball mixture and taste for seasoning. If it's good, form into 1-1/2" balls. Working in batches, brown meatballs on all sides then place on cookie sheet. When all the meatballs are browned, bake in a 350F oven for 15 minutes until done.

Add to sauce. Cook pasta in well-salted water until almost done. Remove meatballs from sauce and keep warm. Drain pasta and add to sauce. Toss pasta in sauce and finish cooking pasta. Plate pasta and add some sauce on top and a few meatballs. Serve with more grated Parmigiano Reggiano.

Marinara Sauce

Olive oil
1/4 lb diced pancetta
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans(28 oz each) ground tomatoes
Water
Sugar
Salt to taste

Coat dutch oven in olive oil. Add pancetta and cook on medium high heat for 7-8 minutes until browned and fat is rendered. Add onions and a good tablespoon of salt and saute for 7-8 minutes until onion is soft. Add garlic and saute for 2-3 more minutes.
Add ground tomatoes. Fill one of the cans half-full of water, swish around, and add water to pot. Taste sauce, and add a bit of sugar (1-2 tablespoons). Partially cover, lower heat, and simmer for 2-3 hours.

You can double this recipe and put half the sauce in the freezer for later use.