Homemade Italian Meatballs and Gravy

The Made from Scratch Recipe Just Like Grandma Used to Make

© Denise Musumeci

Nov 17, 2008

As complicated as it sounds to make your own gravy and meatballs from scratch, it's actually pretty simple. Although it is a little time consuming, a large pot of gravy can feed a family of 4 for a few weeks. Italian gravy comes in many varieties and many families have their own way of making it, but I am going to demonstrate how to make a simple red sauce with meatballs and sausage.

Meatball Ingredients

• 1 and 1/2 pounds of 90% lean ground beef
• 5 large eggs
• 3 pieces of bread, crumbled into small pieces
• 2 handfuls of grated romano or parmesan cheese
• salt, pepper, and garlic powder, all to taste
• 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 4-6 fresh basil leaves, washed

Gravy Ingredients

• 1 large can (28 oz) of tomato puree
• 2-3 large cans (28 oz each) of crushed tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 2 cloves of crushed garlic

Directions:

For the Meatballs

1. Crack 5 eggs and beat them in a large mixing bowl.
2. Crumble the three pieces of bread and add them to the bowl, then mix them with the eggs. If the three pieces of bread are left out a couple of hours before, it is easier to crumble them into small bits because they dry out.
3. Add salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste, then add the two handfuls of romano or parmesan cheese. Mix the ingredients together.
4. Add the fresh ground beef to the bowl and mend with your hands until the mixture is completely blended with the beef.
5. Roll into balls about half the size of a baseball. The ingredients should yield about 20-25 meatballs.
6. Take a frying pan and add 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil.
7. Heat the meatballs on medium until the outsides are browned. Be careful not to make the edges too crisp, but be sure to cut into one of the meatballs to check the center for redness.
8. Add basil leaves for flavor. Once finished, add meatballs and basil leaves to the pot of gravy that is simmering on medium-low heat (instructions below).

Optional: Once the meatballs are finished and added to the gravy, use the same pan to cook a package of hot or sweet Italian sausage thoroughly, then add to the pot when finished.

For the Gravy:

1. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil and the crushed garlic cloves on the bottom of the pot. Keep in mind that garlic burns easily, so only heat for 3-5 minutes on medium-low heat.
2. Once heated, add the can of tomato puree. Blend the crushed tomatoes as desired on medium to high speed in the blender, then add to the pot.
3. Once the meatballs and gravy are cooked, add them to the pot, leave it partially uncovered and allow it to simmer on medium-low heat for about 60-75 minutes.
4. Serve with your choice of pasta.

For fewer calories, use extra lean (93% or higher) ground beef. Remove 3 or more of the egg yolks from the meatball ingredients and use reduced-fat cheese instead. Spray the pan with cooking spray instead of cooking with olive oil. Organic or homegrown tomatoes are a good substitute for regular canned tomatoes.

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