Marinara Pasta Sauce with Meatballs

Slow cooked buttery marinara sauce with meatballs and lots of garlic make this fresh pasta dish truly amazing. I used a new seasoning from Trader Joes that has dried onion, tomatoes, garlic pieces and herbs (soffritto). Top with fresh buffalo mozzarella to make this pasta dish really sing.

Prep Time: 10 mins  | Cook Time:  6 hours  | Course: Dinner | Servings: 4

28 oz can of peeled tomatoes, broken with your hands or chopped

¼ cup butter

1 small onion, chopped

10 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp soffritto seasoning, optional (from Trader Joes)

1 bay leaf

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp onion powder

½ tsp garlic granules

1 tsp salt

Freshly ground pepper, to taste

1.5 lbs ground beef, break and roll into bite sized chunks

1 ball of Mozzarella di Bufala, cut into large pieces (or parmesan cheese)

Fresh basil, optional

Place tomatoes, butter, garlic, onion and seasonings into a slow cooker. Cook on high for 6 hours. When the sauce gets hot with bubbles around the edges (about 30 minutes) add the meatballs and ladle some of the sauce over the top of them. Serve over hot freshly cooked pasta and top with fresh mozzarella cheese and basil or some parmesan.