Nonna's Sunday Gravy
A slow-simmered Italian-American tomato sauce loaded with meatballs, sausage, and braised pork, served over pasta as a Sunday family meal in North Jersey's Italian communities.
- Prep
- 45 min
- Cook
- 210 min
- Total
- 255 min
- Servings
- 8
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Calories
- 590 kcal
Equipment
- •Large heavy pot or Dutch oven
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 590 kcal
- fat
- 30
- carbs
- 48
- protein
- 32
- calories
- 590
Instructions
- 1
Mix the ground meat, breadcrumbs, Parmesan, eggs, and a pinch of salt. Shape the mixture into meatballs.
- 2
Heat olive oil in a large heavy pot. Brown the meatballs, sausage, and pork ribs in batches, and set them aside.
- 3
Add the onion and garlic to the same pot. Cook in the leftover fat until soft.
- 4
Pour in the crushed tomatoes. Stir and scrape up all the browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
- 5
Put all the browned meats back into the pot.
- 6
Bring to a gentle bubble, then turn the heat to low. Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, for at least 3 hours until very tender.
- 7
Move the meats onto a platter. Spoon off any extra fat from the top of the gravy.
- 8
Cook the pasta according to package directions and mix with some gravy. Serve topped with extra gravy and the meats alongside.
Chef's tips
Brown all the meats well before adding the tomatoes so the browned bits give the gravy deep flavor. Simmer gently on low for at least 3 hours, stirring occasionally so the bottom does not burn.
Storage
Refrigerate up to 4 days, or freeze the gravy for up to 3 months.
Reheating
Reheat gently on the stovetop over low heat, stirring occasionally.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Rushing the cook time so the meats cannot fully flavor the sauce.
- •Boiling too hard instead of simmering gently on low, which can burn the bottom and make it taste bitter.
Serving suggestions
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