Spaghetti and Meatball Sauce

I made this a couple of month ago. I don’t prepare dish like this often but if I do I will usually make a large batch of it and freeze some of it up. This way I can just warm it up and have it with spaghetti or make it into meatball sub. Instead of just ground beef I added some ground turkey to it too. It turns out really nice. Mmmm feeling like having this today. Maybe I should thaw out some and have it for dinner tonight.

Ingredients:

1 pound ground turkey
1 pound ground beef
1 cup fresh white bread crumbs (4 slices, crusts removed)
1/4 cup seasoned dry bread crumbs
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 cloves garlic - chopped
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 large egg - beaten

For the sauce:

1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
3 cloves minced garlic
1/2 cup red wine
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes, or plum tomatoes (chopped)
1 tbsp chopped parsley
3 tbsp roughly chopped basil
2 bay leaves
1 tsp sugar
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1. Add breadcrumbs, parsley, Parmesan, salt, pepper,  egg, and 3/4 cup water in a bowl. Mix it well. Add in the meat and mix until combined. Don’t over mix it as it will toughen up the meat ball. Using your hands, lightly form the mixture into 1 ½” inch meatballs. You will have 20-22 meatballs.
2. Pour some vegetable oil into a skillet to a depth of 1/4-inch. Heat the oil. Very carefully, in batches, place the meatballs in the oil and brown them well on all sides over medium-low heat, turning carefully every now and then.
3. This should take about 10 minutes for each batch. Don't crowd the meatballs. Remove the meatballs to a plate covered with paper towels. Discard the oil but don't clean the pan.
4. For the sauce, heat the olive oil in the same pan. Add the onion and sauté over medium heat until translucent, 5 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for a minute. Add the wine and cook on high heat, scraping up all the brown bits in the pan, until almost all the liquid evaporates, about 3 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, parsley, bay leaves, sugar, salt, and pepper.
5. Return the meatballs to the sauce, cover, and simmer on the lowest heat for 45 minutes, until the meatballs are cooked through. Add in the basil and stir well. Check seasonings.
6. Cook the spaghetti according to the package instructions. Once it is done serve them hot with the meatball sauce and some grated parmesan cheese.