Ingredients
Units
Scale
For the Meatballs:
- 1 1/2 lbs. of ground beef
- 1/4 cup raisins - chopped
- 1 tbs. capers plus caper juice - chopped
- 1 tbs. peach preserves (if you don’t have peach preserves you can use apricot or marmalade)
- 1/4 cup Italian style bread crumbs
- 2 tbs. fresh cilantro or Italian parsley - stems removed and chopped
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. black pepper
- 1 tsp. sweet paprika
- 3 cloves of garlic - grated
- 1 stalk of celery - sliced thin
- 1 slice of white bread - crumbled
- 1 egg
- Olive oil - for drizzling the frying pan
For the Sauce:
- 2 sweet onions - sliced thin
- 4 cloves of garlic - chopped fine
- 2 tbs. raisins - chopped
- 1 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. black pepper
- 1 tsp. sweet Paprika
- 1 tsp. sugar
- 29 oz. can of crushed tomatoes
- 8 - 10 fresh basil leaves
- Olive oil for drizzling
- 1 lb. of your favorite pasta - spaghetti was used in this recipe
Instructions
For the Meatballs:
- Combine all of the ingredients in a medium sized bowl and mix together.
- Heat a large cast iron frying pan with a drizzle of olive oil.
- Form the meat into medium sized balls and place in the heated frying pan. Do Not Overcrowd the pan.
- When the meatballs form a nice golden char, carefully turn over and cook on the other side.
- Do Not have the heat too high.
For the Sauce:
- Heat a large cast iron frying pan.
- Add the sliced onions, chopped garlic and seasonings to the frying pan.
- Sauté in the dry pan for a minute or two, then drizzle with olive oil and continue to sauté until the onions are nice and softened.
- Add the crushed tomatoes and toss.
- Carefully, add the meatballs and the scrapings from the bottom of the pan the meatballs were in, this has all the flavor!
- Simmer the sauce at a very gentle heat for at least an hour, the longer it simmers the better.
- Take the fresh basil leaves and place in a small pan heated with a drizzle of olive oil and toss with a sprinkle of salt, then add to the sauce.
- Prepare the spaghetti as directed and drain.
- Remove the meatballs from the sauce and toss the spaghetti with the sauce.
- Top with the meatballs.
- Serve with fresh grated Romano or Parmesan cheese.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
