Sunday Gravy
A slow-simmered tomato sauce built on braised pork, sausage and meatballs — the all-day pot that anchors an Italian-American Sunday dinner.
- Prep
- 40 min
- Cook
- 240 min
- Total
- 280 min
- Servings
- 8
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Calories
- 540 kcal
Equipment
- •Large heavy pot or Dutch oven
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 540 kcal
- fat
- 34
- carbs
- 24
- protein
- 32
- calories
- 540
Instructions
- 1
Mix the ground beef, pork, breadcrumbs, egg, Parmesan, half the garlic, salt, and pepper. Roll into golf-ball-sized meatballs.
- 2
Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown the pork ribs, sausage, and meatballs in batches, then set aside.
- 3
In the same pot, cook the onion and remaining garlic until softened.
- 4
Pour in the red wine and scrape up the browned bits from the bottom. Let the liquid boil down by half.
- 5
Stir in the tomato paste, then add the crushed tomatoes. Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer.
- 6
Put all the browned meats back into the pot. Season with salt and pepper, then add the basil leaves.
- 7
Partially cover the pot with a lid. Simmer very gently for 3–4 hours, stirring occasionally, until the meats are fork-tender.
- 8
Take out the meats and spoon off excess fat from the sauce. Spoon the gravy over pasta with meats alongside.
Chef's tips
Brown all the meat deeply before adding the tomatoes. That rich browning builds deep flavor during the four-hour simmer.
Storage
Refrigerate up to 5 days or freeze up to 3 months; the flavor deepens overnight.
Reheating
Reheat gently over low heat, stirring occasionally, adding a splash of water if it has thickened too much.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Rushing the simmer. The gravy needs hours for the meat to get tender and flavor the sauce.
- •Boiling the sauce instead of simmering gently, which can burn the tomatoes and make meat tough.
- •Skipping the browning step and dropping raw meat straight into the sauce.
Serving suggestions
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