The meat sauce with meatballs and Sicilian potatoes is the traditional sauce in the Catania area to which I belong.
My mother always prepared it, sometimes with variations in the type of meat added to the sauce, but on Sundays, we celebrated with “red pasta” as she used to say.
The aroma of the sauce gradually maturing marked the passage of hours on Sunday mornings in my family, where the desire to carry on traditions was always strongly felt.
Today, unfortunately, my mom is no longer with us, but preparing her dishes brings me joy as recreating those flavors is like having the chance to sit next to her at the table and introduce part of her world to those who didn’t get to meet her.
The pieces of meat and meatballs enrich the sauce with all their flavors, which are released during a slow cooking process.
To make its taste incredibly good, my mother added homemade tomato extract, which I now replace with double tomato paste.
Following the recipe I indicated, you get a preparation that’s not difficult to digest, but rich in flavor and body.
This dish was the main character of our Sunday table, the first course was fresh pasta with sauce, and the second was the pieces of meat and meatballs accompanied by soft potatoes also cooked in the sauce.
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- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Affordable
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 5
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Energy 1,750.45 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 44.88 (g) of which sugars 5.88 (g)
- Proteins 66.96 (g)
- Fat 148.04 (g) of which saturated 35.40 (g)of which unsaturated 97.60 (g)
- Fibers 7.30 (g)
- Sodium 694.59 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 334 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
- 21 oz beef (in chunks, not too lean)
- 14 oz beef (ground)
- 3 spring onions
- 46 oz tomato puree
- 2 leaves bay leaves
- 4 g salt
- 4.2 oz tomato paste (double concentrated)
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (optional)
- 1/2 tbsp sugar
- 1.1 lbs potatoes
- 2.5 oz Grana Padano DOP (grated)
- 1/3 cup breadcrumbs
- to taste parsley
- 2 eggs
- 1 g fine salt
- to taste peanut oil (for frying)
Tools
- Pan non-stick for frying
- Skillet wide with a thick bottom
- wooden spoon
Preparation
To prepare the meat sauce with meatballs and Sicilian potatoes, chop the spring onions and cook them for a few minutes in a little water, optionally adding some tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil.
Then add the tomato puree, equal measure of water to the puree, bay leaves, chopped meat, and double concentrated tomato paste.
Cover with a lid and bring to a boil over high heat.
Once boiling, moderately salt, considering also that we used double concentrate, and continue cooking by moving the skillet to the smallest burner over low heat.
Leave the lid on, but with a side vent.
Stir occasionally.
Prepare the meatballs by mixing ground meat, breadcrumbs softened with a little water, grated parmesan, chopped parsley, eggs, and fine salt in a bowl.
Knead and shape the meatballs, pressing them well to avoid air pockets inside.
Each should weigh about 2.5 oz.
Fry in hot peanut oil for a couple of minutes on each side; it’s not necessary to cook them through.
It’s sufficient to create a resistant outer layer, allowing the meatball to cook in the sauce without falling apart.
Once ready, place them for a few minutes on absorbent paper to absorb excess oil.
Don’t leave them on the paper too long to avoid it absorbing any juices released by the meatballs.
Wash and peel the potatoes, trying to make them all the same size; if you have large ones, cut them in half.
Keep them immersed in water until needed.
After about 1 hour and 30 minutes of cooking, if the sauce is a bit thick, first add a little hot water, stir, and then the potatoes.
Wait for it to return to a boil and gently add the meatballs, lowering them into the pot with the help of a spoon.
Cook for about three and a half hours, stirring very gently with a long wooden spoon.
Check the salt and add half a tablespoon of sugar to correct any acidity in the sauce.
If needed, add more hot water, but don’t overdo it, considering that in the end, the sauce should be quite thick.
We can turn off the heat when inserting a fork into the meat chunks and then into the potatoes, and it goes in easily.
If the potatoes are cooked, but the meat needs more time, to prevent them from falling apart, remove the potatoes and put them back into the sauce only at the end.
The Sicilian meat sauce with meatballs and potatoes is now ready.
Serve the meat pieces and meatballs as a second course, the potatoes as their side, and dress the pasta with the sauce, preferably fresh pasta.
Storage
In an airtight container for a couple of days in the fridge.
In an airtight container for a couple of days in the fridge.
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