By Pure CookBook in Italian — Nov 19, 2024

Grandma's Old Italian Spaghetti Sauce with Meatballs

Ingredients

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat in a large saucepan. Add 3 whole garlic cloves; cook until brown and fragrant, 5 to 8 minutes. Remove garlic cloves; set aside. Add pig's feet and pork neck bones to the saucepan; cook, turning occasionally, until meat and bones have browned, about 15 minutes.
Return garlic cloves to saucepan; stir in 1 1/2 cups water and tomato paste. Bring to a boil; add tomato purée. Reduce heat to low; simmer until pig's feet are tender and mixture begins to thicken, about 3 hours, stirring often from the bottom to prevent burning. Stir in sugar, black pepper, and baking soda; simmer while preparing meatballs.
Soak torn bread in a bowl with remaining 1 cup water; squeeze excess water from bread. Place bread in a large bowl. Add ground pork, ground veal, ground beef, and 6 beaten eggs; mix thoroughly and form into 24 meatballs about 2 1/2-inches in diameter.
Heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat, stir in basil and minced garlic; cook about 1 minute. Add meatballs, working in batches, if necessary; season with salt and black pepper. Cook on all sides until brown, about 15 minutes.
Add meatballs, oil, basil, and minced garlic to sauce, gently stirring to avoid breaking meatballs. Add 6 whole hard-boiled eggs; simmer until meatballs are cooked, sauce is thick, and flavors have blended, about 1 1/2 hours.

(*Nutrition data is approximate and may vary depending on the brand and type of ingredients used.)