Meatball Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef

1/2 pound ground pork (optional)

1 /2 cup bread crumbs (homemade is best)

1 tbs Oregano

1/2 tbs Italian seasoning

1 tbs garlic powder

1 tbs onion powder

1/2 cup grated Parmesan

1 tsp Red pepper flakes

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

2 eggs

1 tbs heavy cream

Marinara Ingredients:

3 large tomatoes (chopped, and hand crushed)

1/2 cup sugar

5 leaves of fresh basil

1 tbs Italian seasoning

1 tbs Worcestershire

1 tsp ground cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 cup beef broth

5 cloves garlic, minced

vinegar

1/2 large yellow onion, chopped fine

2 tbs olive oil

2 tbs tomato paste

Shredded Parmesan (topping)

Bucatini Pasta (sometimes hard to find, use can also use regular thick spaghetti)

Marinara Directions:

Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large dutch oven. Stir in your chopped onion and minced garlic. Stir and cook until translucent, about 3 min. Stir in the tomatoes, sugar, Italian seasoning, Worcestershire, vinegar, cumin, ground cayenne pepper, beef broth, salt and pepper. Let cook the tomatoes cook down, I like to cut up the the tomato chunks with my wooden spatula as it is cooking down, I don’t like a lot of chunks of tomatoes. You can also use an immersion blender to blend them as well. After about 10 min, reduce heat to low and stir in the tomato paste and fresh basil leaves. Let simmer for about 45 minutes. I taste throughout the simmer process to see if it needs anymore of the spices. Boil bucatini noodles while simmering for the last 20 min.

Meatball Directions:

Preheat oven to 400. Add all ingredients to a large mixing bowl. Using your hands, mix all together. Make sure all ingredients are well incorporated. Roll into 2 inch balls and lay on a wire baking rack, that has been placed on top of a cookie sheet, this will catch the grease. Add them to the oven and bake for about 15 min. Pull from oven and add the to the simmering marinara. Mix into sauce making sure all the meatballs are covered in marinara.

Plate noodles, then marinara, then meatballs. and top with LOTS of Parmesan cheese!