Sunday sauce is a thick and hearty homemade marinara sauce loaded with meatballs and sausage. Simple ingredients cook slowly and transform into an ultra flavorful main dish your family will crave. It’s a perfect meal to serve a crowd!
PREPARATION TIME
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours 45 minutes
Total Time: 3 hours 15 minutes
Ingredients
For the sauce:
- 3 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 large onions, diced
- 4-5 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
- 4 28-oz cans crushed tomatoes
- 2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 tablespoon chopped fresh basil (or 2-3 teaspoon dried)
For the meatballs:
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
- Salt, to taste
- Ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 lb ground beef
For the sausage:
1 lb Italian sausage links (hot, mild, or sweet)
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Instructions
For the sauce:
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In a large pot (at least 8 qt.) set over medium heat, add olive oil and let heat. Add onions and cook until soft and golden, just starting to brown. Add garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
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Add crushed tomatoes, oregano, and stir. Bring sauce to a simmer, and cover sauce pot (leaving lid open a crack for the steam to escape) and let simmer while you prepare the meatballs and sausage.
For the meatballs and sausage:
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Preheat oven to 350°F. In a bowl, mix together eggs, grated Parmesan, breadcrumbs, parsley, salt and pepper with a spoon or with your hands. Add ground beef and mix until evenly combined.
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Form meatballs about 1 ½ – 2″ wide from the mixture. Using a cookie scoop helps make this part easier and less messy. Place meatballs evenly spaced on a large rimmed baking sheet and cook for 40 minutes.
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If also cooking sausage, arrange sausage links around the meatballs on the baking sheet.
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Cook meatballs and sausage for 40 minutes, then remove sheet from the oven. Lift meatballs off the sheet with tongs and add to the simmering sauce. If desired, cut each sausage in half before adding to the pot of sauce.
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Continue to let the sauce simmer on a low setting for an additional 2-3 hours, keeping the lid cracked, or until thickened to your liking. Stir sauce occasionally to ensure the very bottom doesn’t burn. Add basil to the sauce at the end of the cook time.
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Serve meatballs, sausage, and sauce over your preferred pasta. Garnish with grated Parmesan cheese, more fresh basil, etc. Leftover portions of sauce/meatballs/sausage freeze very well!
Notes
This recipe makes a lot of sauce. It can pretty easily be halved, but excess portions freeze very well.
If you can find crushed tomatoes with basil – even better! Basil is still added to the sauce but an extra oomph of Italian flavor never hurts.
Nutrition
Calories: 472kcal
