| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 2 hr 45 min |
| Prep: | 25 min |
| Cook: | 2 hr 20 min |
| Yield: | 4 to 6 servings |
Ingredients
- 2 (35-ounce) cans plum tomatoes with basil
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup red wine
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, cut into thin strips
- 1 pound ground sirloin or lean ground beef, pork, turkey, veal, chicken, or any combination
- 2 eggs
- 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped, plus 3 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 pound pork spare ribs, trimmed
- 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste, for sauce and ribs
Instructions
- Strain the plum tomatoes in a colander to extract the juice, breaking the tomatoes apart with your hands. Discard the pulp and set aside.
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add 4 cloves garlic, the onion, red pepper and black pepper. Saute until the onion is soft and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Add juiced tomatoes, red wine, Parmesan and salt. Add the tomato paste and the water and stir together over medium heat. *Cook’s Note: Tomato paste should be added after making meatballs and ribs.
- Put the ground meat in a mixing bowl. Beat the eggs and add them to the meat along with 6 cloves garlic, the bread crumbs, salt, pepper, Parmesan and milk. Mix this all together with your hands. Wet your hands with water and continue to wet them as you pinch meat from the bowl and roll into 2-inch balls. Roll the balls in the flour.
- Heat 1/2-cup of oil in a large skillet. Add 3 cloves chopped garlic and saute until golden brown. Remove the garlic with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add the meatballs and saute over medium-high heat, turning them until they are brown all over.
- *Cook’s Note: As soon as you can pick them up with a fork, they are ready. You don’t want them to be well done. If the meatball slides off the fork when you pick it up, it needs to cook a little longer.
- Cut the ribs apart and remove the membrane. Saute them in 1/2-cup oil until very brown and remove.
- Return the garlic to the oil and add tomato paste (for the sauce) to the pan; Cook, stirring, over medium heat for about 3 minutes until it softens. Remove from the heat and add to the sauce.
- Add the meatballs and spareribs to the sauce. Bring to an easy boil, then simmer over low heat for 2 hours. Add the basil and simmer for 15 minutes more. The spareribs should be very tender, falling off the bone and the meatballs should float in the sauce
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 6 servings |
| Calories | 1165 |
| Total Fat | 85 g |
| Saturated Fat | 20 g |
| Carbohydrates | 54 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 7 g |
| Sugar | 16 g |
| Protein | 47 g |
| Cholesterol | 189 mg |
| Sodium | 1721 mg |
Reviews
0. I made this sauce in my dutch oven. Some people will probably yell at me because tomato in cast iron is like..not good but hey, it’s the largest pot I had that would have worked. I mention this because I saw some comments about how the sauce was too liquidy, and I had the opposite problem.
1. For the tomatoes, you need to really squeeze those suckers. I squeezed through a colander and mushed/pressed the tomato flesh against it until I was literally left with the guts. It took me about 20 minutes to squeeze/press/mash/etc. to get every essence out. I had probably about 1/2 cup of the guts remaining. It will take some time, but you have to do that in order to get enough liquid.
2. Ribs: I roasted these in the oven at 500 degrees F because I had enough items on the stove to juggle. I think that was fine. Once roasted, I added to the sauce.
3. Meatballs: I did half beef/half ground pork. The meatballs seemed a bit watery/loose, but it worked out fine. I agree with everyone: DO NOT ADD SALT. The cheese is enough.
4. Once you add the meatballs and pork ribs to the sauce and simmer, I think you are in the clear. The thing I wasn’t sure about was what to do with the ribs. I removed them from the pot after 2 hours and the bones were loose and I went through the meat and removed the fat/gristle and chopped and put the pieces back into the sauce. I also took some time to skim foam/grease from the pot.
5. I served over bucatini. This hearty sauce needs hearty pasta.
Overall, great recipe. Definitely needs the basil and parsley at the end to freshen up the dish. This sauce is HEARTY so a little goes a long way, which I like when I am serving a crowd. There is a reason why it’s called gravy!