Guy did an episode at Big Jim's in Pittsburgh, PA and did a feature on their meatballs and this marinara sauce that Jim makes JUST for the meatballs. These meatballs were soooooo good! The sauce was soooooo good, too! Sometimes I follow the marinara recipe exactly and sometimes I use fire roasted tomatoes and it still comes out great.
Here's a link to meatball recipe:
Big Jim's Meatballs
And here's the recipe for the marinara:
6 celery ribs
2 carrots
1 Spanish onion
1 green bell pepper, stemmed and seeded
1 cup olive oil
3 tbsp granulated garlic
1 tbsp dried basil
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
2 (28-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
1. Roughly chop the celery, carrots, onion, and bell pepper. Put them in the food processor with the olive oil and pulse until very finely chopped, but not liquified.
2. Heat a heavy bottomed pot over medium heat, add the vegetable mixture and saute for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to keep the mixture from scorching.
3. Add the garlic, basil, oregano, salt, and pepper and saute for 3 minutes to help release their flavors. Add the crushed tomatoes and simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, stirring occasionally to keep from scorching.
I just threw everything in a crock pot and minus the veggies and let it go. I baked the meatballs and then I put them in the sauce for a few hours. Here's the finished product:
