Homemade Tomato Sauce For Pasta

Sauce and meatballs simmering on the stove

What's best on your favorite pasta? Of course your favorite tomato sauce, we have a simple tomato sauce recipe three generations deep.

Growing up in our house, every Sunday was pasta day. My mother would start the sauce in the morning and it would simmer for hours, filling the house with such a magnificent aroma.

My dad would go to church, and on his way home he would stop at the local bakery and pick up 2 loafs of fresh Italian bread. We would cut the first loaf, take a slice and dip it into the sauce that has been simmering all morning.

To this day when we make our sauce it fills the house with that same magnificent aroma, which brings back fond memories of my childhood.

Pictured here is our Sunday pot of sauce and meatballs simmering on the stove. After the sauce has cooked for a while it will begin to thicken.  I still like to take some fresh Italian bread, and cover it with the sauce, just like when I was a kid. It is Oh!!! So good.

Let's start with the Ingredients for the Meatballs:

• 1 lb. of ground beef
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup of grated Romano cheese
• 1 cup of seasoned breadcrumbs
• 1 clove of garlic, minced (you can add more garlic if you like)
• A few sprigs fresh of parsley, and basil, chopped real fine
• If you're using dry use a 1/2 tsp. of each
• Light olive oil: enough to cover the bottom of the pan
• Sprinkle salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste

Now the Ingredients for the Tomato Sauce:

• 2 - 28 oz. cans of crushed tomatoes
• 2 - 6 oz. cans of tomato paste
• 2 - 28 oz cans of water
• A few sprigs of parsley, and basil chopped real fine
• If you're using dry use a 1 tsp. of each or season to your taste

 Now for the Instructions:

1. Cover the bottom of a 12" fry pan with olive oil and turn on medium heat. Add some minced garlic and parsley.
2. Mix all ingredients together, and form your meatballs, add them in the fry pan. Cook until the outside of the meatballs are golden brown. Turning them often.
3. While the meatballs are frying prepare your sauce
4. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, water, and seasonings in a 8 quart pot, stir all ingredients together and turn on medium heat. When the meatballs are cooked, place them in sauce, along with the grease from the fry pan
5. Bring sauce to a boil, stirring frequently, so the sauce doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot.
6. Let the sauce cook 2 to 3 hours on medium heat, stirring frequently, again we don't want the sauce to stick to the bottom of the pot.
7. As sauce thickens turn to a simmer for 30 more minutes. Keep stirring.

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 3 to 4 hours or longer

Serves: 1 lb. of pasta, 4 to 6 people with some left over to freeze

This is not a quick recipe, this sauce takes time as it cooks to perfection.

Now meatballs are a staple when it come to tomato sauce and pasta day.
Some other options to add to your sauce is Italian sausage, or a nice chuck roast. Actually you can make all of them. Cook your sausage and brown the chuck roast the same as you would the meatballs.

They all add a unique flavor to the sauce, and the meat is so tender and delicious when cooked in the sauce all day.

My mother would always make meatballs and a chuck roast. Oh how I remember that wonderful smell filling the whole house.

Oh now doesn't this look delicious?

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