My Mother's Italian Spaghetti and Meatballs

Comfort food! Can be made vegetarian or even vegan if you want to use plant-based products.

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This is my mother’s recipe and a childhood favorite and serves 6 - 8.
My mother said, "Authentic Italian sauce recipes call for uncooked meat; re-cooking meats which are to be added to tomato sauce seems to be an American idea. The meat is so tender and the sauce is much quicker to prepare."

Sauce Ingredients:

• 1 onion, chopped
• Oil for frying
• ½ t. Powdered garlic
• 3 - 6-ounce cans of tomato paste
• 3 cups of water
• 1 T. sugar
• 1 t. Salt
• ¼ t. Pepper

Sauce Directions:

1. Combine the above ingredients, first frying the onion and garlic powder (frying brings out the flavor) in the oil.
2. Simmer gently while you prepare the meatballs.

Meatball Ingredients:

• 1 pound of ground beef or a combination of meats
• ½ cup dry bread crumbs
• ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 T. chopped fresh parsley
• ¼ t. Powdered garlic
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 t. Salt
• ¼ t. Pepper

Meatball Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients lightly and form into medium-sized balls.
2. Drop the balls, one at a time, into the simmering sauce.
3. Stir gently with a spoon so the balls do not break up, but making sure none of the meatballs stick to the bottom of the pan.
4. Serve over hot spaghetti after the sauce has simmered for three (3) hours.
5. It is even better the next day!
6. Serve with more grated Parmesan cheese.

My Updated Version