Once all the ingredients are combined thoroughly, start to make meatballs. Combine ground beef, Italian sausage, egg, mushrooms, onions garlic, bread crumbs, olive oil, salt and pepper in a mixing bowl until they just come together. Over mixing can cause a tough meatball. If you feel you have over worked and compacted the meat, fluff the entire mixture with a fork-loosening and incorporating a bit of air into the mixture. Then using an ice cream scoop, scoop out about 16 meat balls onto a sheet pan.. Cut each one in half and roll into a ball This will create the perfect size meatball and double the amount.

On Medium to medium-high heat, coat the bottom of a nonstick skillet with olive oil. Brown each meatball on all sides, and set it aside.

In the same large skillet used for the meatballs, wipe out the used oil and add another tablespoon of olive oil to coat the bottom again, and set to medium heat. (sometimes, using the leftover oil is ok as it adds flavor, but frying in batches can over brown the bits and cause a bitterness that needs to be removed)

Combine onion, garlic, and sauté until soft. (continue to stir to prevent garlic from burning)

Next, add the sausage and cook- breaking it up into small browned pieces.

now add tomatoes and season with salt, pepper, and any dry Italian seasoning about a 1 tbs. Reduce heat and simmer until tomatoes have cooked down and become more liquidy. Once this has happened remove it from heat.

The next step is to add a couple of ladles full of sauce and add to a blender or food mill and blend until it has a more smooth texture. (it’s important to do it a little at a time to prevent a mess).

Once smooth simmer for an hour or so to meld the flavors. When you are about an hour away from eating. add the meatballs and let them finish cooking with the sauce.

Serve with a good quality spaghetti, and top with freshly grated parmesan cheese. (it really can make a difference)