Meatballs
* 1 pound extra lean ground beef
* 1 cup Panko or Italian bread crumbs
* 1 tbsp chopped fresh Italian parsley
* 1 tbsp fresh grated Parmesan cheese
* 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
* 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
* 1 teaspoon garlic powder
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 egg, beaten
Sauce
* 3/4 cup diced white onion
* 3 tsp minced garlic (app five cloves)
* 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
* 2 (28 ounce) cans organic Italian tomatoes
* 2 tsp salt
* 1 tsp white sugar
* 1 bay leaf
* 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste (herb and garlic is good in this)
* 1 tsp dried basil
* 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
450 gram package spaghetti noodles
Directions
- In a large bowl, combine ground beef, bread crumbs, parsley, Parmesan cheese, black pepper, garlic powder, salt, onion powder and beaten egg. Mix well and form into balls. Store, covered, in refrigerator until needed.
- In a large saucepan over medium heat, saute the onion in olive oil until onion is translucent. When the onion begins to soften, add the garlic and continue to saute, just until the garlic becomes fragrant (about 1 minute more)
- Stir in tomatoes, salt, sugar, basil, pepper and bay leaf. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 90 minutes. Stir in tomato paste. Add the meatballs, cover, and simmer 45 minutes more.
- When ready to serve, bring 5 litres of water to a boil. Just as it begins to boil, add 1/4 cup salt to the water and 1, 450 gram package of spaghetti noodles. Stir. Boil for 7 minutes until al dente -which means the pasta is soft but still has "bite" and is not mushy. Drain into a colander but do not rinse.
- Ladle a generous amount of the hot tomato sauce over the pasta and stir to let it absorb.
- Serve on a large plate with more sauce and the meatballs ladled over.
