Italian-American · main

Sunday Sauce with Braised Meatballs

Sunday Sauce with Braised Meatballs reads umami 9.2, richness 7.9 and salinity 5.1 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Italian-American main, about 3 hr 18 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

The measured notes (of 18)

Umami 9.2 · Richness 7.9 · Salinity 5.1 · Allium 3.8 · Sweetness 3.5 · Funk & Ferment 2.7 · Sourness 2.7 · Fruity 2.4 · Nutty 2.1 · Earthy 2.1 · Herbaceous 1.8 · Floral 1.8 · Heat 1.7 · Warm Spice 1.7 · Bitterness 1.5

What's in it (16)

Time & effort: about 3 hr 18 min · effort: involved

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 111 kcal, 9.3 g protein, 5 g fat, 7.9 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat · Contains dairy · Contains egg — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (11 steps)

  1. Stir the bread crumbs and milk together in a large mixing bowl and let sit until the crumbs have fully absorbed the milk and formed a smooth paste, about 5 minutes — this panade is what keeps the meatballs tender through a long braise.
  2. Add the ground beef, ground pork, eggs, 1/2 cup of the Parmesan, half the parsley, half the garlic, 1 teaspoon of the salt, and the pepper to the panade. Mix gently with your hands just until evenly combined, about 1 minute — don't overwork it, or the meatballs will turn dense.
  3. Roll the mixture into 20 meatballs, about 1 1/2 inches each, and set on a baking sheet.
  4. Set a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the sausage links and cook, turning occasionally, until deeply browned on all sides, 6-8 minutes — they should render some fat but stay pink inside; they'll finish cooking in the sauce. Transfer to a plate.
  5. Working in two batches so the pot isn't crowded, brown the meatballs in the rendered sausage fat, turning occasionally, until deeply browned on all sides but not cooked through, 6-7 minutes per batch. Transfer to the plate with the sausage.
  6. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of fat from the pot. Add the onion and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent, 5-6 minutes. Add the remaining garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
  7. Stir in the tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, until it darkens a shade and smells toasty rather than raw, 1-2 minutes — this is where the sauce's depth comes from.
  8. Pour in the red wine, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon, and simmer until reduced by about half, 3-4 minutes.
  9. Add the crushed tomatoes and the remaining teaspoon of salt, bring to a steady simmer, then nestle the sausage and meatballs (and any juices from the plate) into the sauce. Partially cover the pot, reduce the heat to low, and braise at a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally and skimming any excess fat from the surface, until the meatballs are fork-tender and the sauce has thickened and deepened to a rusty red-brown, about 2 1/2 hours.
  10. Lift out the sausage, slice into 1-inch rounds, and return to the pot. Swirl in the butter until it melts and the sauce turns glossy — this rounds out the acidity and keeps the sauce from tasting one-note — then stir in the remaining Parmesan and parsley.
  11. Taste and season with more salt if needed. Serve the meatballs and sausage over pasta, ladling the sauce generously over the top and finishing with extra Parmesan and parsley.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.