There is nothing more controversial to Italian-Americans than pasta sauce and meatballs. I am in an Italian group and we “discuss” it weekly. Our sauce is sacred. Whether we call it Sunday sauce, sugo or gravy, it’s a staple in our households. In most of our homes we always have a pot of sauce bubbling on the stovetop on Sundays, ready to add hearty meats.
In my family, sauce is called sugo. That’s what my grandparents called it and so that’s what everyone in the family says. My husband always teases me and calls it “gravy”. We do not call it gravy.
Sunday Sauce is special because it typically involves a variety of meats to serve alongside the sauce. One of those meats is usually meatballs. Growing up we had Sunday Sauce, but didn’t call it that. My Grandma always served hearty meats alongside pasta on Sundays. In summer when we had plenty of fresh basil she would make sure to put it in each of her “basil burgers” as she liked to say. Whether you roll them in a ball and drop them in sauce, or flatten them and grill them, they always tasted amazing.
The reason I love meatballs so much is they are so versatile. Meatballs for Sunday Sauce dinner can easily turn into Subs later in the week. This is my son’s personal favorite way to eat them. You could also serve them over creamy polenta instead of pasta, or even rice. Because they are made with ground meat, they are also economical for a family. They stay good all week long and make for great lunches too.
I do my meatballs differently all the time depending on what I have available. Sometimes I use ground turkey and serve them over rice. Sometimes I use all ground beef, especially when I am planning Meatball subs. For my Sunday meatballs served with pasta, however, I typically use a variety of meats, such as ground beef and pork. Authentic meatballs are also made with veal. Feel free to add it to yours if you like it.
I order my meat from Wild Pastures. They work with small farmers to provide grass fed and pasture raised meat. I typically order plenty of ground meat because we have meatballs several times a month. To read more about Wild Pastures, visit their website www.wilpastures.com.
I rarely add onions to my meatballs. I typically reserve onions for my meatloaf mix. If you do add them I recommend mincing the onion small so as not to bite into big chunks.
I learned to add ricotta cheese to meatballs from my Italian group. My meatballs are so tender now. It really makes a difference to the texture of the meatballs.
I like to make a big batch of Italian meatballs and freeze extra for quick weeknight meals. Just freeze the raw meatballs on a sheet pan and then place into a ziploc bag in the freezer for up to six months.
I hope you enjoy this recipe–feel free to experiment and come up with your favorite variations!
