Last Night's Spaghetti and Meatballs

Last week I bought everything necessary to make a nice pot of spaghetti sauce.  It took me a week to get around to it, but something about finally having A/C in my kitchen made it seem a good idea last night.  I have to say, it was delicious!  I used Barilla spaghetti, the regular width (not thin, not angel hair) and cooked it for 9 minutes to the perfect al-dente stage.  I just wanted one little plate, so there are lots of left-overs, which is especially good with sauce.  The longer it sits, the more the flavors intensify.

Here's my recipe for last night's dinner.

Meatballs - your own recipe or your favorite frozen (I love home-made).

SAUCE

4 tablespoons good olive oil
1 vidalia onion, finely chopped (almost minced)
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 32 oz. can tomato puree
1 32 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 4 oz. can tomato paste with Italian seasonings
4 oz. water
4 oz. red wine
2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon dried basil
2 tablespoons brown sugar


Directions:


In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, saute onion in olive oil over medium-low heat until it is translucent.  Place chopped garlic over top of onions and let the heat from the onions start them cooking.  After a few minutes, stir the onions and garlic, careful not to let it get too brown.  Add tomato puree and diced tomatoes.  With a whisk, stir in tomato paste and then water, wine, and seasonings, including sugar.  Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer.  Cook for an hour or so, stirring every now and then so nothing sticks to the bottom of the pan.  Add cooked meatballs and let them hang out in the sauce for about another hour, simmering away as the sauce thickens a bit. 


This, from an Irish girl, herself!

Image:  http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/boca-spaghetti-meatballs-66207.aspx