Nonna Anna’s Meatballs & Sauce

To make the sauce:

• Olive oil

• 5 cloves of fresh garlic minced

• 2 - 8oz cans of tomato paste

• 1 - 28oz can of crushed tomatoes

• 5 fresh basil leaves

• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt (not heaping)

• Baking soda

• 1 whole Hot Cherry Pepper (2 if small)

• Water (her instructions were always “just put enough”)

• 1 cup dry red wine (optional she only does this for holidays lol but man is it better with it)

Heat oil in pan on medium low heat

Cook the garlic until aromatic. 
Add can of crushed tomato’s
Add both cans of tomato paste 
Add basil
Add salt
Add water (just enough)
Add hot cherry pepper 

Bring to slow simmer

Add pinch of baking soda (it will fizz and kill the acidity without making it sweet)
Add red wine if using

Cover with a lid, lower heat and just let it cook as long as you like at least 30 mins stirring occasionally. The longer you cook it the better it gets!

To make the meatballs: 

• 3 lb hamburger 85-15

• 2 eggs

• 1 big teaspoon of salt 

• Parsley

• Entire bulb of Garlic minced

• Milk

• 1-2 slices of stale bread

• Cup of grated parm cheese

• Black pepper

Mix meat with parsley, eggs, salt, garlic, pepper

Dunk bread in milk and squeeze milk out then add that to the mixture to bind it

Then add two big handfuls of parm cheese to meat mixture

Roll and fry in oil and try not to eat them all as you cook em!

To make the sandwich:

Slice a hero roll, or more commonly…we just used sliced white bread lol lol

Slice up two or three meatballs and layer them along the roll or bread

Add sauce

Add parm cheese

Put it in the over to toast bread and heat sauce (we always did it with left overs so if you make it fresh you won’t have to do this step)

Once sauce warm add mozzarella cheese

Put under broiler until cheese melts