Spaghetti and Meatballs for the Soul

It's been kind of a rough week and I needed a little comfort food last night so I whipped up a batch of spaghetti and turkey meatballs.
I made the sauce and meatballs from scratch. Something I don't think I mentioned previously is my heritage. I am Italian, 1st generation (No Jersey shore jokes, please! :). My parents were both born in Italy, they both cook, and food has always been a major part of my life.  I do OK in the kitchen, but I can get lazy, especially in months September - June when I'm busy teaching and being mommy. I have my basics down pat though.  So if anyone doesn't already know how to make pasta sauce and meatballs from scratch, here you go!

I used ground turkey meat for my meatballs (it's not contaminated, I checked). All you need is bread crumbs, eggs, parmesan cheese, garlic, salt and pepper. Chop up some garlic and add it to your bowl. I'm really bad about measuring lately, I just did the old "eye ball" when I added my bread crumbs and cheese. I used 2 eggs. Salt and pepper is up to your discretion. Combine all ingredients and mash together with hands (perfect stress reliever if you're having a bad day!) Roll into balls of whatever size you want. Here are mine after rolling:

Now it's time to cook them. I fried these in Olive Oil on medium heat until they were cooked and golden brown. Takes about 10 minutes.  You can use some in your sauce and freeze the rest for future pasta dinners, meatball subs, etc.

Now it's time for my sauce. I don't use jar sauce. I make it from scratch using peeled tomatoes. It's easier then you think. Here are the peeled tomatoes that I use:

La Fede peeled tomatoes

Chop up some onions and garlic. Run the tomatoes through a food processor. I actually don't use a food processor, I use a food mill or better known in my family as the "passapomodoro" translation: the thing you pass the tomatoes through.

Passapomodoro more commonly known as a food mill

People might wonder why I use this as it makes the job the little harder. It's just more authentic to me. Reminds me of Sunday afternoons, my mom making her sauce, the aroma filling up the kitchen. I really needed that yesterday. Oh and turning the crank is a great arm workout! Anyway assuming you don't have a food mill, you run the tomatoes through a food processor. Saute the onions and garlic in olive oil until golden. Add the tomatoes. Use whatever seasonings you like. I usually just use salt and pepper, maybe some basil leaves for flavor. Add your meatballs. Let simmer on medium low for about 30 minutes. About 15 minutes in I add a couple of spoons of sugar to sweeten the sauce up.

I leave the pot cover half on and for the last 5 minutes I take it off completely.  Here is the finished product, perfect for kids and adults, comforting and delicious.  Serve with salad or garlic bread or whatever else you like. Enjoy!