ta-daa!

I used to think I knew spaghetti. Oh yeah, I totally had a handle on that stuff, homemade even.

And then, I tried this recipe.

I was on the search for an amazing meatball recipe, and I stumbled upon this little gem.

And yes, it requires a little bit of time (lots of simmering time, not prep).

It's sooo worth it.

The first time, I didn't have time to simmer the whole time & it was just fine. And since we never finished all the meatballs, I made the sauce again tonight and put the leftover meatballs in. Delicious!

I pinky-promise :)

Ingredients

• MEATBALLS
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 cup fresh bread crumbs
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley
• 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 egg, beaten
• SAUCE
• 3/4 cup chopped onion
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 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
• 3/4 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions

In a large bowl, combine ground beef, bread crumbs, parsley, Parmesan, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, garlic powder and beaten egg. Mix well and form into 12 balls. Store, covered, in refrigerator until needed.

In a large saucepan over medium heat, saute onion and garlic in olive oil until onion is translucent. Stir in tomatoes, salt, sugar and bay leaf. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 90 minutes. Stir in tomato paste, basil, 1/2 teaspoon pepper and meatballs and simmer 30 minutes more. Serve.