I had a friend who was Italian, and who better to get advise about spaghetti and meatballs than a true Italian. She was a very kind woman who loved to cook. I used to really enjoy talking to her about her cooking that she used to do years ago when she was younger. Some of her tricks about her spaghetti sauce very much surprised me. One thing that I loved was that she added basil but not oregano.(I am not really a fan of oregano 😛 ) Another thing that was different than mine was the addition of carrots. It is a very nice addition. Taking some tricks from her and added to my own recipe have made a good sauce into a great sauce!  I hope you enjoy this rich and tasty sauce with an Italian flare.

Spaghetti and Meatballs (Paleo/ Grain Free/ Gluten Free)

Meatballs:
1 lb. ground beef, turkey, or chicken

1 egg (or a chia gel egg- 1 Tbsp ground chia plus 3 Tbsp. water mixed)

2 tsp. dried or fresh basil

1 tsp. sea salt

1 tsp. onion powder

Sauce:
1 Tbsp. coconut oil

1 lg onion- diced

2 stalks celery- diced

1 medium carrot- diced

2 cloves garlic- minced

1- 28  oz. can diced tomatoes

1-28 oz. can crushed tomatoes

1 Tbsp. dried basil or 3 Tbsp fresh

2 tsp  honey (optional)

13 oz. can tomato paste

1 c. diced zucchini

sea salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot on medium heat, saute onion, celery and carrot in olive for about ten minutes or vegetables are soft. Add tomatoes and mash with a potato masher. Then add garlic, basil(if using dry). Bring to a boil.
Meanwhile, put ground meat, egg, and basil into a bowl and mix ingredients together. Make small meatballs and add them into the boiling sauce. Let sauce boil for about ten minutes, then add tomato paste, zucchini and basil(if using fresh). Put sauce on low and let simmer for about a half an hour. Salt and pepper to taste. Makes six servings. Freezes well.
Serve on top of gluten free pasta, spaghetti squash, zucchini ribbons or spiralized zucchini .