Pasta With Hearty Italian Meat Sauce Recipe

This Pasta With Hearty Italian Meat Sauce recipe calls for a mix of ground beef, pork, and veal for the meatballs – you can use only ground beef but it will not be as flavorful.

Also, you can substitute 6 tablespoons of pain yogurt with 2 tablespoons of milk instead of buttermilk.

Pasta With Hearty Italian Meat Sauce Recipe – Sauce

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Pat ribs dry with paper towels and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Brown half of ribs well on both sides, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer ribs to large plate and repeat with remaining ribs. Brown sausage well on all sides, 5 to 7 minutes; transfer to
plate with ribs.

Add onions and oregano to fat left in pot and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until onions are softened and lightly browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, until nearly blackened, about 3 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomatoes and broth, scraping up any browned bits. Nestle ribs and sausage into pot. Bring to simmer, cover, and transfer to oven. Cook until ribs are tender, about 2. hours.

Pasta With Hearty Italian Meat Sauce Recipe – Meatballs

While sauce cooks, mash bread and buttermilk in large bowl using fork. Let stand for 10 minutes. Using your hands, mix in meatloaf mix, prosciutto, Pecorino, parsley, garlic, egg yolk, salt, and pepper flakes. Lightly shape mixture into 12 meatballs. Transfer meatballs to plate, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until ready to use

When sauce is 30 minutes from being done, heat oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Brown meat.balls well on all sides, 5 to 7 minutes; transfer to paper towel-lined plate. Remove pot from oven and skim fat from surface of sauce using wide, shallow spoon. Gently nestle meatballs into sauce. Cover; return pot to oven; and continue to cook until meatballs are just cooked through, about
15 minutes longer.

Meanwhile, bring 6 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add pasta and 2 tablespoons salt and cook, stirring often, until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup cooking water, then drain pasta and return it to pot.

Using tongs, transfer meatballs, ribs, and sausage to serving platter and cut each sausage in half. Stir basil into sauce and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add 1 cup sauce and reserved cooking water to pasta and toss to combine. Serve, passing Parmesan, meat, and remaining sauce separately.

Pasta With Hearty Italian Meat Sauce Recipe – Prep

Sauce can be prepared ahead of time – just let it cool completely and refrigerate in a pot for up to 2 days. To reheat, drizzle 1/2 cup water over sauce (do not stir in) and warm on lower-middle rack of 325-degree oven for 1 hour before proceeding with recipe.

Pasta With Hearty Italian Meat Sauce Recipe Ingredients – Sauce

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 1/4 pounds baby back ribs, trimmed and cut into 2-rib sections
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 pound hot Italian sausage
2 onions, chopped fine
1 1/4 teaspoons dried oregano
3 tablespoons tomato paste
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 (28-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
2/3 cup beef broth
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

Pasta With Hearty Italian Meat Sauce Recipe Ingredients – Meatballs

2 slices hearty white sandwich bread, crusts removed, torn into small pieces
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 pound meatloaf mix
2 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, chopped fine
1 ounce Pecorino Romano cheese, grated (1/2 cup)
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 large egg yolk
1/2 teaspoon table salt, plus salt for cooking pasta
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 pounds spaghetti or linguine
Grated Parmesan cheese