Grandma’s Famous Meatballs & Sauce

I’ve been thinking about this recipe for a while now. It’s definitely not an easy one for me to write about, since my grandmother passed away earlier this summer. I knew I wanted to feature her meatballs on the blog eventually, and this week felt like the right time. Grandma Judy was famous for her meatballs, and although I have to admit this recipe is not exactly like hers (I could never get hers right!), I still wanted to honor her with this post.

For as long as I can remember, Grandma always brought her meatballs and sauce to family gatherings. Or she’d make a huge batch randomly, when the feeling struck her, and then distribute them to family accordingly. We pretty much always had a Tupperware container in our freezer with grandma’s meatballs and sauce in it while growing up. Of course these plastic containers were never the same again, turning a burnt red color that would never come out, no matter how many times it was washed. You all know exactly what I’m talking about!

In fact, I was going back through the text message chain I have saved with my Grandmother before she passed, and without fail, in Dec. 2020 one of my texts to her read “Grandma these meatballs are AMAZING (insert cat emoji with heart eyes)”. This was 3 months after I had my son, and she must have sent my mom home with some meatballs for me and my husband. I hadn’t been able to see her, or have her meet my new baby yet, because of the pandemic that was raging. But she still made sure her granddaughter was fed from afar.

And sometimes that’s all you can do for people- send food and make sure their souls are fed during some of the toughest times in life. Food is love, and that is precisely why I started this blog. Although I may not be able to actually cook for all of you, I can share these comfort foods that mean so much to me and my family, in hopes that they can bring some comfort to others as well.

And just as my grandma used to do, this recipe is a LARGE batch! Using 3-3.5lbs of ground beef, I was able to make 40 2-inch meatballs. That’s a lot of balls! I froze 3 separate containers of meatballs and sauce to use at a later date, and kept about 8-10 simmering in sauce for my family for dinner tonight. I will put mine over a fresh spaghetti squash from my dad’s garden, and over pasta for my husband and little guy.

In case you’re wondering, Grandma was able to finally meet my son when he was about 7 months old (thank you science and vaccines). I’m so thankful he got to spend time with his “GG” before she got too sick. Thanks for reading, as this post was cathartic for me, and I hope you all enjoy this hearty recipe in honor of my Grandma Judy (1941-2021).

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 50 minutes

Servings: 4 separate dinners for 2-3 people (cut recipe in half if not planning to freeze meals)

Ingredients:

- 3lbs ground beef (I use 93% lean)

- 1 tsp garlic salt

- 2 tsp Italian seasoning

- 2 tsp garlic powder

- 1 tsp red pepper flakes

- 1 tsp fennel seeds (optional)

- 3 tsp Worcestershire sauce

- 3 cloves minced garlic or 1.5 tsp

- 1 diced yellow onion

- 1.5 cups Italian breadcrumbs

- ½ cup milk or ½ and ½

- 3 eggs

- 96 oz of preferred jarred sauce

- 1 bag baby spinach

- Fresh parsley, chopped

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 400*

2. Add ground beef to a bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer

3. Add ingredients from garlic salt to eggs into bowl.

4. Either combine with hands or use the paddle attachment on stand mixer to slowly combine ingredients into meat. Be careful not to over mix!

5. Using a cookie scoop, create 2-inch meatballs by rolling in hands and placing on a baking sheet prepared with parchment paper. Meatballs can be pretty close together if you need space, but make sure they aren’t touching.

6. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes.

7. While meatballs bake, add sauce and spinach to a very large pot. I use a 6-quart enamel cast iron Dutch oven. Get sauce to a low simmer.

8. Once baking is done, transfer meatballs carefully with a slotted spoon into the sauce to simmer for an additional 20 minutes.

9. Serve over your favorite pasta, or use spaghetti squash or zoodles for a low carb option. Or use them in meatball subs with provolone cheese.

10. Top with freshly chopped parsley.