Hearty Vegetable Tomato Sauce and Meatballs
As the weather starts to cool and the fall schedules start to heat up, a slow-cooker comfort meal is just the thing. This recipe for a hearty vegetable tomato sauce and meatballs is the perfect recipe for the season. And just like good marketing content, you can make it once and repurpose it!
On the first night, serve it over your favorite pasta with a salad and garlic bread. On the second day, toast up some garlic bread with cheese and make meatball sandwiches. Only have sauce leftover? Blend it and add a little cream for a rich tomato soup.
Hearty Vegetable Tomato Sauce and Meatballs
Equipment needed:
6-Qt. Slow Cooker
Saute pan and spatula
Cutting board and knives
Baking sheet or baking dish
Prep time: 30 minutes
Total time: 4-5 hours
HEARTY VEGETABLE TOMATO SAUCE
INGREDIENTS
1 bag of spinach leaves
1 medium yellow onion, diced
About 1 cup carrots, diced
1-2 cups mushrooms, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans diced tomatoes (fire roasted prefered, no salt added) - Drained
2 cans diced tomatoes (fire roasted prefered, no salt added) - Not drained
1-2 tablespoons tomato paste
Handful of fresh basil leaves
1-2 tablespoons Extra Virgin olive oil
Salt and Pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
Turn on the slow cooker to high, often a 4-6 hour time setting
Add canned tomatoes to the slow cooker
Precook Vegetables:
Heat a 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat
Add chopped mushrooms and cook for 3-4 minutes, then remove from pan and add to tomatoes in slow cooker
Add more oil if necessary, and then saute onions and carrots for about 5 minutes until softened, then add to slowcooker
Cook the minced garlic for 1 minute, until fragrant, then add spinach to the pan, cooking until just wilted
Add spinach and garlic to the slowcooker
Stir vegetables together in slow cooker, cover with lid and let simmer for 4 hours on high
See note below, add meatballs about 10 minutes before you are ready to eat to soak up the flavor of the sauce
Note: You can leave the sauce as is if you prefer a chunky texture. For a smoother texture, either blend the sauce with an immersion blender or carefully transfer to a blender and blend until desired consistency.
GRANDMA’S MEATBALLS
INGREDIENTS
1 pound ground beef
About a cup of Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
1 egg, lightly beaten
Salt and Pepper, to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
Make meatballs approximately 30 minutes before you are ready to eat.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees
Add all ingredients to a mixing bowl
Mix all ingredients gently by hand until just combined - do not over mix
Form into 1 inch balls
Place meatballs on a foiled lined baking sheet or in a glass baking dish
Bake for 15-20 minutes, until cooked through
Add to sauce in slow cooker and simmer for 10 minutes
Serve meatballs and sauce over pasta, zoodles, or rice along with a crisp salad and warm garlic bread. Or, make meatball subs on the garlic bread with melted provolone!