Red Sauce and Meatballs
Recipe by Silvia Baldini— This is my favorite family recipe for a basic but unforgettable tomato sauce and meatballs. The secret for this velvety and rich sauce is simple. I use a couple of tablespoons of butter to gently fry chopped onions together with sweet tomato paste and aromatic bayleaves. While the sauce cooks I prep my meatballs with a mixture of ground beef, pork and chicken then I stew them in the red sauce. There is nothing fancy about this dish and that’s exactly the point. It’s pure comfort and unassuming food that everyone loves.
Red Sauce and Meatballs
Recipe by Silvia Baldini— This is my favorite family recipe for a basic but unforgettable tomato sauce and meatballs. The secret for this velvety and rich sauce is simple. I use a couple of tablespoons of butter to gently fry chopped onions together with sweet tomato paste and aromatic bayleaves. While the sauce cooks I prep my meatballs with a mixture of ground beef, pork and chicken then I stew them in the red sauce. There is nothing fancy about this dish and that’s exactly the point. It’s pure comfort and unassuming food that everyone loves.
Servings Prep Time
8people 30minutes
Cook Time
1-45minutes
Servings Prep Time
8people 30minutes
Cook Time
1-45minutes
Ingredients
Red Sauce
  • 3tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 medium white or sweet yellow onion diced
  • 1tablespoon tomato paste
  • 2medium bayleaves
  • 228 onces cans whole peeled tomatoes in juicetomatoes chopped and juice reserved
  • one sprig fresh basil
  • sea salt and fresh ground black pepper
Meatballs
  • 1/2pound ground beef
  • 1/2 pound ground pork
  • 1/2 pound ground chicken
  • 1cup ground parmesan cheese
  • 1/2cup bread crumbs
  • 2large eggs
  • 1/3cup chopped italian parsley
  • 1/3cup soffritto cooked1/2 onion, 1 celery stick , 1/2 carrot
  • 1teaspoon fine salt
  • 1/2teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
Instructions
Red Sauce
  1. Combine butter, onions, tomato paste and bayleaves in a large wide pot and slowly fry for 5 to 10 minutes on a low flame. Add chopped canned tomatoes with the juices bring to simmer over medium heat. Reduce the heat, add basil and lightly season with salt and pepper. Simmer semi-covered for 45 minutes to an hour stirring occasionally. Adjust seasoning.
Meatballs
  1. Place beef, pork and chicken in a standing mixer bowl fitted with a dough hook or simply place in a large bowl and use your hand to mix. Combine well then add cheese, breadcrumbs, eggs, parsley, soffritto and mix until all the ingredients are combined. Season with salt and pepper and mix again.
  2. Chill the mixture in a fridge for at least 15 minutes. Then moisten your hands with water and roll the meat mixture between your palms in to small pingpong size balls or smaller. Occasionally moisten your hands with water as needed and arrange meatballs on two large lined baking sheets.
  3. Bake the meatballs in the oven at 350F for 10 minutes then arrange them in single layers in the cooked red sauce in the pot. Simmer on low until the meatballs are cooked through, about 15 to 20 minutes. You can also quickly brown the meatballs in a pan with olive oil instead of baking or simply place them in the sauce uncooked. I like to brown them for extra flavor.
  4. Make sauce and meatballs ahead and keep chilled for up to 2 days or freeze. The sauce is great by its self on pasta, rice, vegetables or for bread dipping.
Recipe Notes

Click here for my recipe for soffritto in Food & Wine

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