Naomi, our seven year old, came home from school this past week, hell-bent on cooking a pasta recipe she ‘invented’. And it actually happened to coincide perfectly with a viral three-ingredient pasta sauce recipe the internet keeps showing me. So I figured, sure! Let’s give it a go. It was a really simple, and with a small tweak, and a handful of fresh toppings – like parsley, grated Parmesan, and red pepper flakes – it turned out delicious.
Naomi’s Pasta Sauce with Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 large onion or in tonights case, two small onions, halved and peeled
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes
- kosher salt to taste 😉
- 1 pound pasta of choice
- freshly chopped parley
- grated Parmesan cheese
- crushed red pepper flakes optional
For the Meatballs
- 1 pound ground beef of choice
- 1 egg
- splash of broth
- handful of breadcrumbs
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- additional seasonings of choice (garlic powder, onion powder, parsley, etc.)
Instructions
- Add onion, butter, and tomatoes – with their juices – into a large pot, bring to a boil, then allow to simmer for 75 minutes. Season with salt.
- Add all meatball ingredients into a bowl, mix well. Use a disher to roll even sized meatballs, set aside.
- After allowing sauce to simmer for 75 minutes or so, add in your raw meatballs into the sauce, allow them to cook through for ~30 minutes or so, occasionally turning over meatballs in sauce so all sides cook fully through.
- Meanwhile, cook one pound of pasta of choice, add to your sauce. Top with fresh parsley, grated parmesan, and crushed red pepper flakes, if desired.