Italian Meatballs and Spaghetti

INGREDIENTS:

MEATBALLS:

• 1-1/2 pounds ground round steak
  
• 2 eggs
  
• 1 teaspoon salt
  
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
  
• 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
  
• 1 teaspoon parsley flakes
  
• 4 slices bread
  
• Olive oil for browning

SAUCE:

• 5 cups canned tomatoes, chopped, with juice
  
• 2 cans (6-ounces each) tomato paste
  
• 2 tomato-paste cans water
  
• 3 or 4 cloves garlic, crushed
  
• 2 cans (4-ounces each) mushrooms, with liquid
  
• 1 teaspoon basil
  
• 1 teaspoon parsley flakes
  
• 2 teaspoons sugar
  
• 2 teaspoons salt
  
• 2 small bay leaves
  
• 1/2 cup dry red wine
  
  
• 1 package (7-ounces) thin spaghetti, cooked

TO PREPARE:

Put all meatball ingredients, except bread, into large bowl.  Cover bread with water and soak for 1 minute; squeeze out water, and add to meatball ingredients.  Mix well.  Shape into balls the size of golf balls.  Brown quickly on all sides in hot olive oil in Dutch oven.  (About 10 can be browned at once, as they brown quickly.)  Turn them with a spoon so they won't break.  When meatballs are browned, remove and set aside.  Combine all sauce ingredients in same pan and simmer 1/2 hour, covered.  Remove bay leaves.  Add meatballs to sauce, and simmer 30 minutes more.  Serve over cooked spaghetti.

SERVES:  6, generously

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