Lunch: Spaghetti Sauce with Meat

Recipe by PETEIYC A meaty, full-bodied spaghetti sauce with meatballs. Enough to feed a crowd for a casual get together! Good crusty Italian bread compliments this dish.

This recipe includes superfoods such as:

Cinnamon

Health benefits of Spaghetti Sauce with Meat

Cinnamon is one of the best ingredients that someone with insulin sensitivity can eat. Half a teaspoon of cinnamon per day has been shown to be very effective at normalizing blood sugar levels. Cinnamon contains hydroxychalcone, which is thought to enhance the effects of insulin. It has also been suggested that Cinnamon prevents post-meal blood sugar spikes by slowing the gastric emptying rate - meaning that food digests slowly. (Reference: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11506060).

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
4 (3.5 ounce) links sweet Italian sausage
1/2 pound cubed flank steak
8 links pork sausage
3 onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
2 (28 ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
2 bay leaves
1 pinch ground cinnamon
salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste
2 pounds lean ground beef
2 eggs
4 slices white bread, cut into cubes
1/2 cup grated Romano cheese
salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste
1 pinch dried parsley
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 (16 ounce) packages macaroni

Instructions

In a large stock pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add Italian sausage, beef chunks, sausage links, onion, and garlic: cook and stir until meat is thoroughly done. Stir in tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, bay leaves, and cinnamon. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer sauce over low heat for 1 hour.
In a large bowl, combine the ground chuck beef, eggs, bread, Romano cheese, salt and pepper, and a pinch of parsley flakes. Shape into golf ball size meatballs.
Pour vegetable oil into a large skillet. Add meatballs, and cook over medium heat until lightly browned. Place meatballs in spaghetti sauce, and simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
Cook pasta in boiling, salted water until al dente. Drain well, and transfer to a large bowl. Stir 1 cup sauce into the noodles to help prevent sticking.
Serve sauce with meatballs over pasta.