Italian Spaghetti Sauce and Meatballs

Spaghetti has always been my least favorite noodle. I'd always found it a bit boring, but now I realize that my preparation of it is what had been boring. I used to brown up some ground beef, throw it in some jarred marinara sauce, and once again be disappointed at the result- edible, but not unbelievable. So wanting to impress my pasta loving husband, I decided to try something new last night: meatballs smothered in a slow-simmered homemade sauce. It only took a bit more effort in gathering ingredients and time to let the pot sit on the stove. The hardest part was not the preparation, but rather waiting to devour the juicy and not-so-little meatballs until they were done! The result: meatballs so tender and a sauce so flavorful that makes spaghetti suddenly much more desirable.

INGREDIENTS
Meatballs:
1 1/2 lbs. lean ground beef
1 1/2 cups fresh bread crumbs
1 1/2 Tbsp. dried parsley
1 1/2 Tbsp. freshly grated Parmesan
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1 extra large egg, whisked

Sauce:
1 medium onion, copped
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 (28 oz.) cans whole peeled (or crushed) tomatoes
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
1 bay leaf
1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste
3/4 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1 lb. spaghetti noodles
freshly grated Parmesan, for serving

DIRECTIONS
1. In a large bowl, combine ground beef, bread crumbs, parsley, Parmesan, black pepper, garlic powder and beaten egg. Mix well and form into meatballs (I usually make about 20). Store, covered, in refrigerator until needed.

2. In a large saucepan over medium heat, saute onion and garlic in olive oil until onion is translucent. Stir in tomatoes, salt, sugar and bay leaf. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 90 minutes. (At this point you may want to crush/puree the sauce depending on how smooth of a consistency you want.) Stir in tomato paste, basil, black pepper and meatballs and simmer 30 minutes more, until the meatballs are cooked through.

3. Serve atop spaghetti noodles, with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Serves 6.

(Adapted from All Recipes)