Super Yummy Spaghetti & Meatballs

We had this for dinner last night, and it is hands down the best sauce and meatballs I've ever had! I actually tripled the meatballs, flash froze 2/3 of them, then bagged them in the freezer to use another day, since they're the most time consuming part of this recipe. 

Ingredients

Meatballs

2/3 lb lean ground beef

1/3 lb sausage (like Bob Evans)

1 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs

1 TBSP dried parsley

1 TBSP grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/8 tsp garlic powder

1 egg, beaten

Sauce

5 cloves of garlic, minced

1/4 cup olive oil

2 (28 ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes

1-2 tsp salt (to taste)

1 tsp white sugar

1 bay leaf

1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste

3/4 tsp dried basil

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning 

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine ground beef, bread crumbs, parsley, Parmesan, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, garlic powder and beaten egg. Mix well and form into 12 balls. Store, covered, in refrigerator until needed.
2. In a large saucepan over medium heat, garlic in olive oil for a minute or two, being careful not to let it burn. Stir in tomatoes, salt, sugar and bay leaf. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 90 minutes. Stir in tomato paste, basil, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, Italian seasoning and meatballs and simmer 30 minutes more. (Water can be added throughout if the sauce becomes too reduced.) Serve.