Spicy Sausage and Beef Meatballs with Homestyle Tomato Sauce

By Natalie 

Here we are making absolutely perfect meatballs in a homestyle tomato sauce for spaghetti or pasta dishes using ground hot Italian sausage to give them some bite.

To get the ground sausage simply remove the sausage meat from its casings and chop it up coarsely.

Meatball Ingredients: 

3 slices white bread (crusts removed), diced or torn to pieces
2/3 cup cold water
1 lb lean ground beef
1 lb ground hot Italian sausage
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese plus more to serve
4 cloves garlic minced
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 large egg
3/4 cup all-purpose flour to dredge meatballs
3 TB olive oil or veg oil to lightly saute.

In a bowl, combine the cubed bread with 2/3 cup water and let sit and soften for 5 minutes. Mash with a fork.

In a fairly large mixing bowl combine: 1 lb ground beef, 1 lb ground sausage, 1/4 cup Parmesan, 4 minced garlic cloves, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper, 1 egg and mashed bread crumbs. Mix until well combined.

Scoop into balls about 1 1/2" in size. You want them to all be a similar size so that they will cook evenly. Use an ice cream scoop to achieve this. This simple trick makes making meatballs so much easier.

Dredge/roll the meatballs in flour, dusting off excess.

Heat a deep, large, heavy skillet or a Dutch oven over medium heat with about 3 tbsp oil. Add meatballs, 1 batch at a time, being careful not to crowd the pan and saute until browned on all sides, about 2 mins per side. Remove and set aside.

They will finish cooking in the sauce.

Sauce Ingredients:

2 diced onions
4 cloves minced garlic
2 cans crushed tomatoes (790 ml.)
2 bay leaves
salt an pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon vegeta
dash cayenne pepper (or to taste)

In the same pan used for the meatballs saute 2 diced onions over medium heat, adding a bit more oil.
Stir til golden and softened,. Add 4 cloves minced garlic and stir 1-2 minutes until combined.

Stir in 2 cans of crushed tomatoes along with 2 bay leaves, salt and pepper and cayenne. Bring to a light boil, sprinkle a bit of Vegeta seasoning over the tomatoes to season lightly.

Add meatballs back into the pan with the tomato sauce, partially cover with a lid and simmer to finish cooking for about 30 minutes. Turn the meatballs occasionally.

The meatballs should be tender and the sauce will have reduced a bit.

Cook the pasta. We prefer a more el dente pasta as it holds up better while mixing. Combine the pasta  sauce and pasta in the pot mxing gently.


Serve on a large platter or in individual bowls with more cheese and  basil scattered all over.

This goes well with red wine, a salad and extra cheese on the side.

Enjoy!