The sauce:
1/2 an onion chopped (set some aside for meatballs)
10 to 15 mushrooms sliced
5 cloves minced garlic
1/3 cup or so olive oil
1 can tomato paste
2 big cans whole tomatoes (I chopped them up first though)
1 small can diced tomatoes (seasoned mexi)
About 3 tbsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp celery salt
1 tbsp ground black pepper
Meatballs:
1 pound hamburger
1/2 lb ground pork
1/3 cup milk
1 cup crushed cheez-its (in place of crackers or bread crumbs)
1/4 cup onion
1 egg (beaten)
1 tsp salt
2 tsp ground pepper
1/2 cup shredded white cheddar
grated parmesan to your liking
flour to cover meatballs
Recipe
Sauce:
Saute the mushrooms and onions in butter until browned. I sprinkle them while I do this with some seasonings as well. Heat olive oil in a pot and then add the veggies. Next add the tomatoes and the rest of the ingredients. Let simmer for about 2 hours so it get nice and thick.
Meatballs:
First brown the ground pork and add the the sauce that is simmering (I do this because dh likes the sauce really meaty and isn't a fan of meatballs so much). Then crush your cheese crackers and add the milk to them until it becomes mush like. Add the cracker base to the hambuger and the seasonings.
Add the egg in as well. When it begins to look like a nice mixture, add the cheeses. Get you hand a bit wet and roll into small (toddler friendly) meatballs and roll in the flour. Melt a half a stick butter in a skillet and brown the balls on all sides. When browned add to the sauce and simmer until the sauce is thick. Cook up your noodles and serve with garlic bread and what-not.
I made the meatballs into sandwiches on rolls today.