Spaghetti Sauce with Sausage and Meatballs

Ingredients

Meatballs:

• 1 1/2 lb. lean ground beef
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup dry Italian seasoned bread crumbs
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/8 tsp. pepper

Sauce:

• 3/4 lb. hot Italian sausages, cut into 1 inch chunks
• 2 quarts homemade or 5 cans stewed tomatoes
• 1 can tomato puree
• 1 can tomato paste
• 1/2 lb. mushrooms, chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped sweet green pepper
• 2 large celery stalks, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 1 1/2 tsp. Italian herb seasoning
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Coat 9x13 inch pan with nonstick cooking spray.

Prepare meatballs: Combine beef, egg, crumbs, salt and pepper. Shape in 1 inch balls. Arrange on pan. Bake at 375 degrees F oven for 12-15 minutes until uniformly brown.

Prepare Sauce: Lightly coat heavy Dutch oven with cooking spray. Brown sausages in pot, about 8 minutes. Discard drippings. Reduce heat to medium.

Add meatballs, tomatoes, tomato puree and paste, mushrooms, celery, green pepper, garlic, herb seasoning, salt and pepper. Bring to boiling, stirring. Lower heat; simmer, covered, 3 hours, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. If sauce is too tart, add a pinch of sugar.

By Robin from Washington, IA