Spaghetti and Meatballs with Homemade Sauce

Step it up a notch next time you fix spaghetti for dinner. Make homemade sauce with fresh ripe Roma tomatoes... and let the sauce cook for a good couple of hours. Roma tomatoes produce a nice thick sauce and have less seeds than most other tomatoes. It'll turn your traditional spaghetti dinner into a feast ;o)

Serves 8

Sauce Ingredients:

• 2 pounds Roma tomatoes
• 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1 green pepper, finely chopped
• 3 stalks celery, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
• 1 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 bay leaves
• Meatballs (see recipe below)
• 1 pound spaghetti
• Freshly grated parmesan cheese, for topping

Directions or Sauce:

1. Remove stems and roughly chop tomatoes. (Peel or blanche to remove skins, if desired; I prefer to keep them to maximize the health benefit.) Place tomatoes in a blender and puree until smooth.
2. Heat oil in large saucepan over medium high heat. Add onion, green pepper and celery and cook about 5 minutes; move some of the vegetables over to free up a small portion of the pan and add garlic; cook an additional minute.
3. Add pureed tomatoes, Italian seasoning, salt, red pepper flakes and bay leaves and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for two hours, or until thick.
4. Add meatballs and cook an additional 30 minutes.
5. Cook spaghetti, per package instructions.
6. Serve sauce and meatballs over spaghetti; top with freshly grated Parmesan Cheese. 

Meatballs Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground sirloin (or ground meat of choice)
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• 1/4 dry whole wheat bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
• 1 small yellow onion, minced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon salt 
• 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Directions for Meatballs:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients together until fully combined.
3. Roll into 1 inch balls.
4. Bake on foil-lined baking sheet in preheated oven for 25 minutes, or until cooked through and nicely browned.