Grandma's Pasta Sauce & Meatballs

Grandma's Pasta Sauce

2 cans of tomato puree
2 cans of diced tomatoes
1 jar or 2 cans of tomato paste
1 large onion diced
3 or 4 cloves of garlic chopped
1 green pepper diced
2 cups sliced mushroom
1Tbsp sugar (neutralizes the acid in the tomatoes, so you can add more if needed)
Parsley (fresh or dried)
Oregano (fresh or dried)
Basil (fresh or dried)
Rosemary (fresh or dried)
Thyme (fresh or dried)
(Or if you can get it, there is a mixed herb pack called italian herbs... that's a nice one to add)
Salt and pepper to taste

Saute the veggies in a pot with some oil on a medium high temp (not too hot or it will brown them and you don't want them to brown)... just until they are nice and hot then add the herbs and mix them in. Then add the tomato paste and stir that while it cooks for a minute or two. Next add the tomato puree and diced tomatoes and mix those in really well. Then add the sugar, and salt and pepper to taste. You might need to add some water too if it's too thick. Let that cook for about an hour or two on low, stirring about every ten minutes or so. The longer you let it cook, the better it will taste.

If you like a meat sauce you can also brown some minced beef or chicken and add that to the sauce. It also tastes great with meatballs and Italian sausage.

Grandma's Meatballs

1 pound (1/2 kilo) minced beef
1 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
3 cloves garlic finely chopped
1 egg
Parsley

Just mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl. If it's too dry, just add a little water. Then spray a baking sheet with cooking oil and form the meat into 2 inch balls. Bake them in the oven at 350*F (180*C) for about 30 minutes. They don't have to be cooked all the way through because they'll finish cooking in the sauce. They just need to be browned. They can also be browned in a frying pan, but I find baking them is a lot less messy. When they're done, just add them straight into the pot with the sauce and cook for a further hour. Makes about 12 meatballs.

This recipe is great with Herbed Garlic Bread.