Meat:

Salt and pepper
1 pound pork spareribs, neck bones or pork chops
1 pound beef chuck roast, blade steak or brisket

Cooked Meatballs:

1 pound ground chuck (80/20)
1 pound Italian sweet sausage (one package Johnsonville sweet sausage removed from their casings)
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
One egg
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon minced garlic
Mix all ingredients and form 15-20 meatballs, depending on size desired. Bake in oven until browned, turning once.

Meat Sauce:

1 pound ground chuck
1 pound Italian sweet sausage (one package Johnsonville sweet sausage removed from their casings)
Mix and brown ground meats and drain. Add to sauce as it simmers.

Pasta Sauce:

3 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 cup chopped onions
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 12 ounce can tomato paste
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes, or to taste
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 bay leaf
2 28-ounce can tomato sauce
1/2 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons dried parsley
3 cups water

1 1/2 cups water and 1 1/2 cups red wine

1. If using cuts of meat, sprinkle salt and pepper all over pork and beef. Place large pot over medium-high heat; when hot, add olive oil and brown meat. Remove meat to a platter.

2. Turning heat under pot to medium (or add olive oil to the clean pot for meatless sauce); add onions, and cook 3 minutes, stirring. Add garlic, and cook 2 minutes longer. Add tomato paste, and stir: cook until it absorbs fat/oil in pan. Add oregano, basil, red pepper flakes, kosher salt and bay leaf, stirring to combine.

3. Add tomato sauce, then 3 cups water (or water and wine). Stir in sugar and parsley. Return meats to pot with their juices, or the cooked meatballs, or the browned ground chuck/sausage mixture. Bring sauce to a gentle boil. Turn heat down to a simmer, partly cover and leave sauce to simmer 2 1/2 hours or more, stirring regularly, about once every 45-60 minutes.

You can also make meatless sauce with this recipe. Make about a gallon of sauce; good for at least two meals for us.

Submitted by: Joe Shirghio