Description
We added carrot and fresh garlic to this spaghetti sauce, and even made the meatballs healthier by using whole wheat breadcrumbs and fresh parsley. We suggest serving over the whole grain pasta of your choice.
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 cup fresh whole-wheat breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 egg, beaten
- ¾ cup chopped onion
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 (28 ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon white sugar
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 basil leaves, torn, plus additional for sprinkling on top
Instructions
- Make the meatballs: Mix ground beef
- bread crumbs
- parsley
- beaten egg
- Parmesan cheese
- garlic
- and pepper in a large bowl until well combined. Form into 12 balls. Cover and refrigerate until needed.
- Make the sauce: Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion; cook until translucent
- 5 to 7 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant
- about 30 seconds. Stir in tomatoes
- salt
- sugar
- and bay leaf. Reduce the heat to low
- cover
- and simmer for 1 hour.
- Stir in tomato paste
- pepper
- and basil; stir in meatballs. Simmer on low heat until meatballs are cooked through
- about 30 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 160 degrees F (71 degrees C).
- Discard bay leaf before serving.
Prep Time: 20 mins
Cook Time: 2 hrs
Total Time: 2 hrs 20 mins
Servings: 6