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Sicilian Meatballs and Sauce

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PREP TIME
40 min
COOKING TIME
255 min
TOTAL TIME
295 min
SERVINGS
24 servings
Dinner U.S.
Sicilian Meatballs and Sauce
Ingredients
  • 3 slices white bread, torn into pieces
  • 1/4 cup milk or water
  • 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup grated Romano cheese
  • 1 pinch dried parsley
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 4 onion, chopped
  • 6 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 12 (3.5 ounce) links sweet Italian sausage
  • 1 1/2 pounds cubed beef brisket
  • 1/2 pound pork neck bones
  • 4 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
  • 3 (28 ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup red wine
  • 4 bay leaves
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried parsley
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 3 (16 ounce) packages dry pasta
Instructions
1
To prepare the meatballs, combine bread and liquid in a medium-sized bowl. Blend in ground beef, eggs, Romano cheese, parsley, and season with salt and pepper to your liking. Shape the mixture into small, spherical balls; place them in the freezer to firm up temporarily.
2
To prepare the sauce, heat olive oil in a large cooking vessel over medium heat; stir in an onion. Cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned pale, taking approximately 5 minutes to achieve this. Add garlic and a single sausage link; cook for about 3 minutes more.
3
Meanwhile, in a separate large skillet over medium heat, brown beef chunks and pork neck bones; set aside for later use.
4
Once the onions and garlic are cooked, decrease the heat to low. Add a concentrated paste made from tomatoes and cook for a short period of time. Stir in the browned beef and pork, crushed tomatoes, wine, bay leaves, cinnamon, parsley, basil, and season with salt and pepper. Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer, then reduce the heat to low and cook for 3 to 4 hours.
5
Once you add the meatballs, let the sauce simmer for 1 hour. When the sauce is nearly ready, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until it reaches the desired level of doneness; drain. Cover pasta with sauce and meatballs, then serve immediately.