These moist, flavorful meatballs are made with ground Italian sausage and simmered in a homemade, authentic Italian tomato sauce. They’re a great alternative to beef and good meat side dish or main dish.
Italian sausage meatballs are the sassy, outspoken cousin to traditional Italian meatballs. They’re a bit bold in flavor, moist and taste great with pasta, especially Baked Ziti with Ricotta Cheese. Plus, they’re easy-to-make.
I’m no stranger to Italian cooking as my parents were Italian immigrants and my mom was an outstanding cook. I’ve learned how to make an exceptional homemade tomato sauce or “gravy” as she’d call it.
What’s also great about making this recipe is that you’ll have a good-tasting tomato sauce to use for pasta if you decide to serve the meatballs with pasta. You can also make meatball subs with them!
As I mentioned above, they’re a good alternative to beef as you never know what meat you’ll find (or not find) at the grocery store these days.
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Sausage Meatball Recipe
The full, printable recipe is in the recipe card below but, here’s the summary of this recipe.
Make the Tomato Sauce
First, add oil to a large pot or Dutch oven and put heat on med/high. When oil is hot, add chopped onions and minced garlic. Cook for two to three minutes.
Then, slowly add the canned tomato sauce, chopped parsley and black pepper. Stir and cover. When it comes to a boil, turn down to low.
Meanwhile, make the sausage meatballs.
Sausage Meatballs
The full, printable recipe is in the recipe card below but, here’s the summary of this recipe.
First, add ground Italian sausage, eggs, chopped onions, minced garlic, chopped parsley, Italian seasoned breadcrumbs, and grated Parmesan cheese to a large mixing bowl.
Next, mix the meatball ingredients with your hands. Get your fingers in there and squeeze, flip it over and mix the ingredients thoroughly.
Then, grab a bit and form it into a 2 1/2 inch or so ball.
You can plop each one into the sauce as you’ve formed it. The tomato sauce will flavor the meatballs and the meatballs will flavor the sauce! You don’t have to bake them first. That’s a step you DO NOT need to do as the meatballs will cook in the sauce while flavoring it.
Then, put the cover on the pot and cook an additional thirty minutes. When the time is up, your meatballs and sauce will be ready!
Serve them with pasta, make sandwiches or serve them as a meat side dish with lasagna.
These sausage meatballs are tasty no matter how you serve them! They’re a great alternative to beef meatballs.
Plus, they’re easy to freeze for another time. Just place them in plastic containers, label them and freeze up to six months for maximum freshness. You’re family will love them!
See more Italian recipes!
Italian Sausage Meatballs and Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
Tomato Sauce
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup chopped onions
- 4 minced garlic cloves
- 58 oz Hunt's Tomato Sauce cans
- 2 tbsp chopped parsley
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Sausage Meatballs
- 2 lbs ground Italian sausage
- 2/3 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
- 1/3 cup chopped onions
- 4 mince garlic cloves
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 tbsp chopped parsley
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Instructions
Tomato Sauce
- First, in a large stock pot (with lid), add extra virgin olive oil, onions and garlic for sauce and simmer on med/high heat for two minutes or until it begins to simmer.
- Then, slowly tomato sauce followed by parsley. Stir well while always stirring the bottom (every 15 min), so it doesn't stick or use a heat diffuser. Cook on med/high heat until it begins to boil. Lower heat to very low.
Sausage Meatballs
- Meanwhile, in a large bowl, add all of the meatball ingredients. Using your hands, mix the ingredients until well combined.
- Next, roll into 2 1/2 inch diameter balls and gently plop into the cooking sauce until all of them are in the pot. Cover the pot and cook for an additional thirty minutes.
Notes
Nutrition
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