This was passed down from my Mom Norinne - this was her signature meal and was always a big hit when she made it.
MEATBALLS
The first 5 ingredients on the list are for the meatballs (1 lb ground chuck, 3 eggs, 1/2 cup Progresso Italian Bread Crumbs, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese and 1/4 cup parsley flakes). Put meatball ingredients in a mixing bowl and combine together thoroughly. You can mix with a spoon, but sometimes the best way is to mix with your hands. Once you have the meatball ingredients mixed, make the meatballs by doing the following:
- Roll golfball sized meatballs using your hands. The best way to do this is to take approximately 1 spoonful in your hand and roll between your 2 palms. Roll each for approximately 30 seconds to make round and to compact the ingredients a bit. If you make at this size, you should get 20 - 25 meatballs.
- Place your meatballs together in a skillet for browning.
(NOTE: depending on the skillet that you use, you may need to prep with vegetable or olive oil so the meatballs don't burn and stick to the pan when browning.)
- Now brown the meatballs on the stove. Try not to rush the browning or the meatballs will come out lopsided and burned. Slow is better and make sure to move them around in the pan so all sides are brown.
- While browning the meatballs, brown the mild sausage and mince into tiny pieces. Make sure to drain off any grease from the pan and if you want to go that extra step, I usually drain and empty the sausage on to a couple paper towels to absorb any extra grease.
THE SAUCE
Now that the meatballs are browned, place them in your crock-pot. Add the 2 cans of tomato sauce first and then 3.25 cups of water. (NOTE: Mom's original recipe says to "fill tomato sauce cans 1/2 with water", but she must have been eyeballing it, because that is just a little too much water in my opinion, so I use the 3.25 cup measurement.) Now add the remaining ingredients starting with the browned sausage and leaving the tomato paste and celery last.
Cook in crock-pot on High setting for the first few hours and then turn down to Low and let cook for at least 12 hours. My last batch was cooked for 24 hours and worked out great.
Things to note:
- Make sure to stir occasionally.
- The celery is only there to take out some of the bitterness, so make sure to remove before serving.
For at least a quarter of the time you are cooking on the Low setting, leave the crock-pot lid on, but open just slightly to let some of the steam out. Doing this will help thicken the sauce and make it less watery. I guarantee there will be a fight for the last meatball. ;) Keep in mind that you can reheat or freeze this when you're done.
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Serving Size: 1 Serving (292g) | ||
Recipe Makes: 4 Servings | ||
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Calories: 567 | ||
Calories from Fat: 314 (55%) | ||
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Amt Per Serving | % DV | |
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Total Fat 34.8g | 46 % | |
Saturated Fat 12.8g | 64 % | |
Monounsaturated Fat 14.8g | ||
Polyunsanturated Fat 3.2g | ||
Cholesterol 123.3mg | 38 % | |
Sodium 1049.6mg | 36 % | |
Potassium 681.1mg | 18 % | |
Total Carbohydrate 23.6g | 7 % | |
Dietary Fiber 1.4g | 6 % | |
Sugars, other 22.3g | ||
Protein 37.2g | 53 % | |
Powered by: USDA Nutrition Database Disclaimer: Nutrition facts are derived from linked ingredients (shown at left in colored bullets) and may or may not be complete. Always consult a licensed nutritionist or doctor if you have a nutrition-related medical condition. |
Calories per serving: 567
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