Minestrone Spicy Soup

This recipe comes from my mother's friend, Joan.

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground sweet Italian sausage
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium green pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 large potato, peeled and cubed
1 medium zucchini, cubed
2 cans beef broth
2 cans (14.5 oz) diced plum tomatoes
1 can (14.5 oz) red kidney beans

1/4 cup parsley, chopped
2 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
1 tsp fennel seed
1/4 tsp red pepper or cayenne

1 cup thin spaghetti, broken
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Brown sausage. Remove from pan and drain on paper towel. Saute onion, pepper, garlic. In large soup pot, put beef broth, canned tomatoes, kidney beans, sauteed onion, pepper, garlic, and sausage and spices. Simmer 1 hr. Add potatoes, zucchini and spaghetti. Cook about 10 mins longer. Add cheese. Serve.

Mom's Spaghetti Sauce

Ingredients:

Mom's Meatballs
2 to 3 packages of sweet Italian sausage (sausages cut in half)
2 TBS olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 pepper, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1/4 carrot, shredded
1 large can mushroom pieces, drained
2 large cans tomato sauce
2 large cans whole peeled tomatoes
2 TBS Italian seasoning (or more to taste. If sauce is bitter later, you can add sugar to sweeten)
2 bay leaves
Parsley flakes
Grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

First, make Mom's Meatballs. Then, brown Italian sausage pieces in oven and drain on paper towels.
Next, put oil in bottom of sauce pot. Add onion, pepper, celery, carrot, mushrooms. Saute until soft. Drain oil. Add tomato sauce and whole tomatoes, breaking up tomatoes with your fingers. Add meatballs and sausage pieces. Add Italian seasoning, bay leaves and parsley flakes.
Cook for 4 hours on stove top, uncovered so sauce thickens. Leave wooden spoon in the pot while you cook. About 2 hours into cooking, sprinkle in grated Parmesan cheese. You will know when the sauce is thick enough when the wooden spoon stands up unassisted in the middle of the pot.

Mom's Meatballs

Ingredients:

2-3 pounds ground beef
salt
pepper
minced onions
garlic salt
parsley flakes
Italian seasoning
~1/4 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
1 egg
Oil

Directions:

Fold ingredients together with hands. Form into balls. Brown in oil in skillet. Drain on paper towel. Add to Mom's Spaghetti Sauce.