Mom'S Irish-American Spaghetti Sauce With Sausage And Meatballs - cooking recipe

Ingredients

6 -8 links mild Italian sausage (for those in Australia, I have found Coles Tuscan sausages are the best for this recipe)
1 large onion, chopped finely
4 small garlic cloves, crushed
3 (400 g) cans tomato puree
1 (800 g) can crushed tomatoes
1 (400 g) can diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 teaspoons sugar
400 g lean ground beef
1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs
dried oregano, to taste
dried basil, to taste
dried parsley, to taste
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste

Preparation

Brown all but 3 of the sausages in olive oil in a big pot on the stove.
Turn down heat and add onion and garlic. Saute till just translucent.
Add tomato puree, crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, tomato paste and sugar. Season with oregano, basil, parsley, and salt and pepper. Let simmer.
Meanwhile, into a large bowl, squeeze the remaining 3 sausages out of their casings.
Add mince, breadcrumbs, herbs and salt and pepper. Mix well with your hands (rubber gloves work great!). Use the palms of your hands to firmly form golf ball-sized meatballs (I got 12 out of this mixture).
When the sauce is piping hot, and the sausages are cooked through (about 40 minutes), throw meatballs into the sauce and let cook for another 30-40 minutes.
If you want to let the sauce and sausages simmer longer, feel free. But don't throw in the meatballs till 40 minutes before the end.
Serve over spaghetti or use to make lasagna.