Spaghetti and Meatballs

I'm not a fan of pre-made spaghetti sauce (or gravy, as my Italian friends call it).  My mom has almost always made spaghetti sauce herself, and the recipe she has is easy and so so so tasty.  In another installment of my recipe sharing:

CARMELLA'S* SPAGHETTI AND MEATBALLS

Ingredients:

Sauce
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. minced garlic (2 cloves fresh)
Sweet Italian sausage (optional)
3 lbs. crushed tomatoes (2 of the really big cans)
3-6 oz cans tomato paste
Basil (fresh or dried
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 Tbsp. oregano
1 Tbsp. garlic salt
1 tsp. thyme

Meatballs
1 1/2 lbs. ground beef (85/15 or 80/20 suggested)
1 egg
1/2 c. Italian bread crumbs
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. garlic salt
1 Tbsp. parsley (dried)

Procedure:
1. In a large sauce pan, pour olive oil.  Brown the garlic.
2. Cut the sausage on an angle into 2" chunks.  Brown in the olive oil / garlic mixture.  Remove the sausage, put in a dish, and refrigerate.
3. Add crushed tomatos and tomato paste.  Add three 6-oz cans of water.  Add spices, stir, and simmer.
4. Preheat the oven to about 425 degrees F.
5. Mix the meatball ingredients together by hand (it's super cold...be aware).  Make the meatballs into whatever size you like.  For me, this usually makes 12 meatballs.
6. Replace the sausage and meatballs into the sauce and let simmer for a few hours.

My mom and I always agree that the sauce actually tastes better after it has been refrigerated over night and reheated on the stove.  We don't know why; it just does.

Hope you enjoy!

- M.