Beef Meatballs in Tomato Sauce

For the sauce

• 3kgs ripe red tomatoes
• 3 onions
• Sweetener
• Extra virgin olive oil (optional, I didn't use any)

For the meatballs

• 1kg lean ground beef
• 2 eggs
• Garlic powder
• Ground black pepper
• Oregano (optional)
• Pink Himalayan salt
• 3 tablespoons fine rolled oats

Method

1. 1Wash and dice the tomatoes, then place them into a pot.
2. 2Dice the onion and add it to the pot with the tomatoes.
3. 3Cover with the lid and bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower the heat to medium and let cook until all the liquid has reduced (about 1h).
4. 4While that simmers, we can prepare the meatballs.
5. 5In a large bowl, place the ground beef and the two eggs, and mix well.
6. 6Then add 2 tablespoons of garlic powder, 2 tablespoons of ground pepper, oregano, and salt to taste if you like, as seasoning is entirely optional.
7. 7Mix thoroughly.
8. 8Now add the 3 tablespoons of fine rolled oats to keep the meatballs juicy and tender, since lean beef can be quite dry.
9. 9Mix well so everything is completely incorporated.
10. 10Shape the meatballs using your hands.
11. 11From 1kg of meat, I got about 30 meatballs.
12. 12Place a non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat with no oil at all, sear the meatballs just to brown the outside, and set them aside.
13. 13Once the tomato sauce is ready, add sweetener to taste.
14. 14Add the meatballs to the sauce and simmer gently on low heat for 15min.
15. 15After that, turn off the heat and let them rest for at least 2 to 3hours so the flavors meld together and the meatballs turn out super flavorful.
16. 16And that's it! Our beef meatballs in tomato sauce are ready.

Notes

1. 1You'll have plenty of sauce left over because 3kgs of tomatoes is quite a lot. Since this sauce has been simmering on the stove for an hour, I like to save the extra and use it in other dishes, like pasta, rice bowls, lasagna, and more... it carries all the rich flavor from the meatballs. Once I've served the meatballs, I freeze the leftover sauce in freezer bags in two-person portions. That way we save freezer space, time, money, and energy whenever we need a quick sauce, getting several meals out of a single cooking session.