Oh, life is busy! I grew up with four lively siblings, and parents that had very busy careers. We were always on the go, whether it was after school events, weekend sports, theatre, camps, social activities, you name it, we were involved. We did it all! In between juggling our crazy schedules, my Mother managed to make sure we had delicious and nurturing dinners, and there is one that I always fall back on when I’ve had a long day. It’s very simple, and extremely satisfying. It’s a variation of Marcella Hazan’s famous tomato sauce, with fresh herbs, and homemade meatballs. Yes! It’s loaded with butter, ok! But the butter really brings you all the “feel good feels,” and gives the sauce an unparalleled velvety richness that you truly can’t beat. France44 Cheese happens to also make some incredibly delicious fresh pasta every week (lucky us!) This is one of the quickest, most satisfying dinners, that will put you in the best state of mind and leave you wonderfully content.
Ingredients:
1 lb of F44 fresh pasta (I used spaghetti)
Sauce-
1 28oz can of San Marzano tomatoes
5 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon sugar
1 whole onion, peeled, sliced in half
Fresh basil to finish
Salt to taste
Meatballs-
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
2/3 cup milk
1 lb F44 House Grind/or Italian sausage
1/4 medium onion finely diced or grated
2 cloves garlic minced
1 large egg beaten
1 tsp salt or to taste
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano
1 tbsp fresh parsley
Directions:
Make the sauce. Put the canned tomatoes in a saucepan, add the butter, onion, and salt, and cook uncovered at a very slow, but steady simmer for about 45 minutes, or until it is thickened to your liking and the fat floats free from the tomato.
Put all of your meatball ingredients into a large bowl, and mix by hand. With clean wet hands, shape into whatever size meatballs you’d like! Mine were around 3 ounces.
Place meatballs on a parchment lined sheet tray, and broil for 10 minutes. (I finish them in the sauce for another 15)
Once your sauuzz has been cooking for close to an hour, take out the onion and discard. Add your meatballs!
Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and toss in your fresh pasta. It literally only takes a couple minutes to cook.
Put all these things together, and finish with fresh basil. You’ve won. Like, truly. Enjoy!