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tomato sauce sugo and meatballs in a pot with a wooden spoon

Meatballs in Tomato Sauce

This is THE sauce. When I say that I'm making pasta sauce, with no further explanation, this is what I'm talking about. The is one of the first things I ever cooked, and probably the most regular dish in our kitchen. Treat yourself and cook this low and slow.
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Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 4 hours
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: Meatballs, Pasta, Sauce, Sugo, Tomato
Servings: 8 people
Calories: 442kcal

Equipment

  • Enamelled cast iron pot (or large regular pot)
  • Kitchenaid food grinder (if grinding your own mince)

Ingredients

  • 2 800ml bottles of passata or equivalent of tinned tomatoes
  • 500 g pork mince
  • 500 g veal or beef mince
  • 1 cup breadcrumbs or one large slice of bread soaked in milk and drained/squeezed
  • 1/2 cup romano or parmesan cheese or similar hard cheese
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 onion diced
  • 1 head of garlic minced
  • 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil more if you really want to treat yourself
  • 1 small handful of basil
  • 1 small handful of parsley (we prefer curly-leaf rather than flat for this recipe)
  • salt and pepper to season
  • 1 tsp sugar

Instructions

  • Into a cold pot, add the onion and half of the minced garlic, with the olive oil. Place on to very low heat, and stir gently but continuously for 30 minutes. Don't let the onion brown. You're ready for the next step when the onion is sweaty and translucent.
    onion being diced using a knife, with garlic and garlic crusher in the background
  • Bruise the basil in your hand, and then add to the pot. Let it fry gently for 2-3 minutes until it turns a vibrant green.
    soffritto of onion, garlic, and basil in olive oil, in a pot
  • Pour in your passata, and then half fill the bottle (or tins) with water. Slosh around to collect the last of the tomato juice out, and then add that water into the pot.
  • Add the sugar and a good pinch of salt to the sauce, stir, and then increase the heat to medium.
  • For the meatballs, place into a large bowl the pork and beef mince, breadcrumbs, cheese, eggs, the other half of the minced garlic, the parsley, and a seasoning of salt and pepper. Get in there with your hands and knead for a few minutes, allowing the mix to squeeze through your fingers.
    bowl of meatball ingredients including bread, pork mince, beef mince, parsley, cheese, eggs, garlic, salt, and pepper
  • With this amount of mix, I usually make 20-22 meatballs, but you can make more or less depending on how large you'd like them to be. Compress them into rough balls, and then roll, turn and squeeze them into smooth meatballs using your palms. Transfer to a baking paper lined tray and refrigerate until required.
  • Once the sauce is at a gentle boil, drop the meatballs straight in. Try to avoid stirring with a wooden spoon until they've firmed up - I grab the pot by the handles and gently rotate it back and forth to let the meatballs settle.
  • Set to low heat, and cook for at least 3.5 hours. Stir regularly, keeping an eye on the liquid levels and making sure that it doesn't catch. If it gets too dry, just top it up with water and try lowering the heat further. It's ready when it's turned a dark red with oily patches (and tastes incredible!).
  • Serve with copious amounts of cheese (romano for the win). And also pasta (we highly recommend eating it the way our family always has: with our spinach fettuccine)!
    bowl of fresh handmade green spinach fettuccine with tomato sugo, meatballs, and cheese

Nutrition

Calories: 442kcal | Carbohydrates: 51.2g | Protein: 25.7g | Fat: 15.6g | Saturated Fat: 3.5g | Sodium: 144mg | Potassium: 694mg | Fiber: 3.1g | Sugar: 7.7g | Calcium: 84mg | Iron: 13mg
Made this recipe? We'd love to see!Mention @pastaetal or tag #pastaetal!