Ingredients

Meatballs:

· 2 lbs of ground beef: Recommend 90/10

· 1 lbs of sausage: recommend sweet or hot Italian, Jimmy Dean breakfast sausage is great as well.

· 2 eggs

· 1.5 cups of bread crumbs (either Italian style or stale bread)

· ¾ tsp salt

· ¾ tsp pepper

· 3/4 cup of parm cheese

· ½ tsp red pepper (optional)

Sauce:

· 4 large cans of crushed tomatoes

· 1 large carrot

· 1 large sweet onion

· 2 tbsp thyme

· 2 tbsp oregano

· 2 tbsp sugar

· 1/4 cup olive oil

· ¾ tsp salt (add in more to taste)

· ¾ tsp black pepper (add in more to taste later)

· 1/4 cup good parm cheese

· ½ tsp red pepper flakes (optional)

Preparation

Meatballs

  1.   Mix all ingredients in large bowl with hands (only real way to do it!)


  2.   Make balls in desired size


  3.   Bake at 400 degrees for ~15 minutes, until medium doneness (will cook more in sauce).

Sauce:

  1.   Dice or use food processor to cut onion and carrot. Place in large pot with ¼ cup olive oil until the onion and carrot are soft.


  2.   Add in thyme and oregano and cook with onion and carrot for additional 2-3 minutes


  3.   Add in canned tomatoes


  4.   Add sugar, spices, and parm cheese


  5.   Bring to boil for 5 minutes


  6.   Add meatballs


  7.   Let simmer for at least 2 hours


  8.   Taste to judge salt/pepper/sugar to taste