1964: Visiting Grandma and Grandpa in New Jersey for their 50th Wedding Anniversary
[Mom, Me (Tracy), Grandma and Grandpa Caroselli, and Leslie.]

Microwave Traditional Italian Spaghetti Sauce

Mom was of Italian decent, so a favorite at our house when I was growing up was spaghetti with meatballs and Italian sausage. Mom would make a huge batch of this Spaghetti Sauce with the meatballs and sausage, and then freeze portions for future meals. Friday night was our traditional night for this meal. Mom later developed the recipe for the microwave when she started cooking in the microwave 100% of the time. The title of the recipe is dedicated to my grandmother, Elvira Caroselli, because she created the original recipe.

Momma's Italian Spaghetti Sauce

8 eight-ounce or 4 fifteen-ounce cans of tomato sauce

2 sprigs fresh basil or 2 tsp. dry basil

Into a Visions 3½-Quart Covered Dutch Oven put the tomato sauce and basil. Cook 7:00 minutes (_____) at 100% power.

2½ lbs. Italian sausage

Cut sausage into 4-inch pieces and pierce each one several times with a fork. Put half of the sausage into a 10" Browning Skillet and cover with a paper towel*. Cook 11:00 minutes (_____) at 100% power. Turn sausage over once during cooking. Put sausage on some paper towel to drain, discard the grease, and cook the remaining sausage the same way. Add the drained sausage to the sauce mixture.

2 lbs. lean ground meat (composed of ¾ ground beef, ⅛ ground veal, ⅛ ground pork)

3 extra large eggs

¼ cup Italian breadcrumbs

¼ cup dry breadcrumbs

¼ tsp. ground black pepper

3 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley or 2 tsp. dry parsley

In a large mixing bowl mix the meat, eggs, breadcrumbs, pepper and parsley. Shape into eighteen 2-oz. meatballs. Discard the grease in the Browning Skillet and arrange half the meatballs in a circle. Cook 8:00 minutes (_____) at 100% power, turning them over two times so they are completely browned. Put on the paper towels to drain and cook the remaining meatballs the same way. Add the drained meatballs to the sauce mixture. Scrape the Browning Skillet clean with a rubber spatula and empty drippings into a strainer. Discard the grease and put drippings into the sauce.

6 oz. can tomato paste

Put the tomato paste into the Browning Skillet. Cook 1:00 minute (_____) at 100% power. With a rubber spatula scrape the tomato paste into the sauce mixture.

1 cup water

Pour water into the Browning Skillet. Cook 4:00 minutes (_____) at 100% power. Pour the water into the Sauce then scrape the Skillet clean with the rubber spatula into the sauce mixture. Carefully mix the sauce and push the meat down so that the sauce completely covers it.

Cover the Dutch Oven with lid. Cook 30:00 minutes (_____) at 50% power.

Place the Dutch Oven on a counter, lay the lid on the paper towels, and carefully stir the Sauce. Push the meat down so it is covered by the sauce, replace the lid. Cook 30:00 minutes (_____) at 50% power. Stir sauce one more time. Cook for final 15:00 minutes (_____) at 50% power.

*When using paper towels in the microwave, ONLY use solid white paper towels. Do not use paper towels with color designs imprinted for decoration.

NOTE: Cooking times are for a 700-watt oven. For best results with this and any other microwave recipe, please be sure to go to the Timing Section of Microwaving Tips for a complete explanation of timing in the microwave.