HOW TO MAKE AUTHENTIC ITALIAN SPAGHETTI SAUCE FROM SCRATCH with Meatballs, Lamb, Sausage & Braciole

Italian sausage

🥗Healthier: chicken sausage

💰Cheaper: ground beef

Chicken sausage reduces fat content while maintaining flavor.

braciole

🥗Healthier: thinly sliced beef

💰Cheaper: pork chops

Pork chops provide a similar texture at a lower cost.

Brown lamb and Italian sausage with EVOO, salt and pepper on medium high heat. Put browned meat in a bowl and set aside.

Make the braciole: Cut steak in half, lay flat on parchment paper and spread a thin coat of Crisco to the side facing up and lightly salt and pepper. Chop parsley until fine. Chop garlic or use a garlic press, grate half of one bar of Locatelli cheese. Add a pinch of parsley, garlic, and Locatelli cheese to each piece of steak and roll, using 2-3 toothpicks to secure. Brown on stovetop over medium high heat with EVOO. Add to bowl with other browned meat and set aside.

Make the meatballs: Grate the other half of Locatelli cheese (save the rind to use in the sauce!). Chop or press 4-5 cloves of garlic. Finely chop remaining parsley. In a large bowl add eggs, cheese, garlic, parsley, salt and pepper to taste and mix until combined. Add ground beef to bowl and combine (using your hands is the best way). Slowly add breadcrumbs to the meat mixture until combined. Roll into medium size meatballs. Slice onion into rings. Add onions to pan on medium high heat and let cook for 2-3 minutes. Add meatballs in batches to pan until brown. Discard onions after cooking or snack on them while cooking. Add browned meatballs to a bowl and set aside.

Make the sauce: Add plum tomatoes to blender and blend until smooth. Add smoothed plum tomatoes to saucepan with salt and pepper and cover. Cook over medium-low heat for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes add all browned meat to the pot, add tomato paste, the rind of the Locatelli cheese, and stir until combined. Cover and cook for another 20 minutes on medium-low heat. After 20 minutes reduce heat to low and cook for an additional 20+ minutes.

Cook the pasta according to package instructions in salted water. Salting the water is key to adding flavor to your pasta. The water should taste as salty as the ocean before adding the pasta.

To serve: This meal is served in two courses: 1. sauce and pasta 2. the meat. Remove the meat from the sauce and set aside for the second course. In a large bowl alternate adding pasta, sauce, and grated Locatelli cheese and combine. Make sure to serve sauce and Locatelli cheese with the pasta and the meat.

Cooking Techniques

Spice Level:

Allergens