Healthier Italian Spaghetti Sauce with Meatballs recipe

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Ingredients

1 pound lean ground beef
1 cup fresh whole-wheat breadcrumbs
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1 egg, beaten
¾ cup chopped onion
5 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup olive oil
2 (28 ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 bay leaf
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
2 basil leaves, torn, plus additional for sprinkling on top

Nutrition Info

373.9 calories
carbohydrate: 29.1 g
cholesterol: 81.3 mg
fat: 20.7 g
fiber: 5.7 g
protein: 21.5 g
saturatedFat: 5.5 g
servingSize: -
sodium: 1552.1 mg
sugar: 11.3 g
transFat: : -
unsaturatedFat: : -

Directions

  1. Combine ground beef, bread crumbs, parsley, Parmesan, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, 1 clove garlic, and beaten egg in a large bowl. Mix well and form into 12 balls. Store covered in refrigerator until needed.

  2. Cook and stir onion, 5 cloves garlic, and olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat until onions are translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, salt, sugar, and bay leaf. Cover with lid, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 60 minutes. Stir in tomato paste, 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, basil, and meatballs. Simmer on low heat until meatballs are cooked through, about 30 minutes.

Recipe Yield

6 servings

Recipe Note

We added carrot and fresh garlic to this spaghetti sauce, and even made the meatballs healthier by using whole wheat breadcrumbs and fresh parsley. We suggest serving over the whole grain pasta of your choice.

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