SAUCE:
4 – 6 oz. Cans tomato paste
6 cups water
1 clove garlic (she used 1/8 tsp. Garlic powder)
2/3 cup sugar
1 tsp. Sweet basil
In a 3 quart pan, blend tomato paste and water until smooth. Stir in garlic. Cook, uncovered, until sauce begins to boil. Stir and lower heat. Simmer with lid on, stirring occasionally. After 3 hours, add sugar and basil. Stir and simmer 1 more hour. Pan will be about ½ full.
MEATBALLS:
1 lb. Ground beef
½ lb. Sausage
2 eggs
½ cup stale bread crumbs
2 stalks celery, chopped fine (optional)
1 clove garlic (she used 1/8 tsp. Garlic powder)
½ cup grated Romano cheese (2 oz. Package)
salt and pepper to taste
Mix ground beef, sausage and salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add eggs and mix well. In another bowl, blend remaining ingredients and add a little at a time to meat mixture. Blend well, and form into meatballs. Fry, turning as needed.
Simmer meatballs in sauce 15 minutes before serving with spaghetti.
To freeze: Divide meatballs and sauce into two 1 gallon Ziploc freezer bags. Lay flat to freeze.
NOTE: I have found it easier to lay all of the formed meatballs on cookie sheets and bake them at 350 rather than fry them. Often, I am doubling this recipe (like I said, life wouldn’t go on without it!), and would rather skip the splatter cleanup afterwards.
