Sunday Gravy
Sunday Gravy, also known as Sunday Sauce, is an all-day tomato sauce just like your Italian nonna used to make. Meaty, full of fresh herbs, and simmered to absolute perfection, this beats anything you can get in a jar at the grocery store.
What Is Sunday Gravy?
This isn’t gravy for pouring onto mashed potatoes! It’s not even gravy for smothering buttermilk biscuits. Sunday gravy is a rich, meaty tomato sauce that simmers on the stovetop all day long. It’s a tradition for many Italian-American families that has roots in Southern Italy.
When I say meaty, I mean it—Sunday gravy calls for multiple types of meats, and every family has their own favorites, whether it’s pork ribs, sausage links, beef braciole, meatballs, or chicken thighs. You could make a meal out of the sauce alone!
Sunday sauce is typically started early in the morning and simmers on the stove for hours. This low and slow cooking allows all of the flavors to come together and create a rich, hearty sauce with lots of depth. Most people serve this sauce over a bed of pasta like spaghetti or rigatoni, but you can also use it in any recipe that calls for pasta sauce.
Ingredients for Sunday Gravy
Here’s a quick rundown of what you’ll need for this recipe. For the full measurements, scroll down to the recipe card.
- Olive Oil – To sear the pork.
- Meat – Pork shoulder or country style boneless pork chops, sweet sausage links, hot sausage links, and meatballs. Holy meat sweats, that’s a lot of meat!
- Vidalia Onions – Or another sweet onion variety.
- Carrots – Commonly used in Bolognese sauce and in this Sunday gravy.
- Garlic – Can you have pasta sauce without it?
- Fresh Herbs – Oregano, parsley, and basil. You can use dry, but your sauce will be lacking.
- Red Wine – I like to use Chianti.
- Tomatoes – Fire-roasted crushed tomatoes and pureed tomatoes.
- Granulated Sugar – This tames the acidity of the tomatoes, bringing the sauce into perfect balance.
- Salt and Pepper – Always essential.
How to Make Sunday Gravy
For detailed instructions, consult the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post. Here’s a quick summary.
- Sear the Pork. Heat the olive oil in a heavy Dutch oven, then add the pork; brown on all sides, then transfer to a bowl. Reserve 2 tablespoons of fat and drain the rest.
- Brown the sausage. Now, add the sausage. Cook until browned on all sides, then transfer to the bowl with the pork. Reserve 2 tablespoons of fat and drain the rest.
- Sweat the veggies. Add the onions and carrots and cook until they’re softened—not browned, just translucent.
- Deglaze. Stir in the garlic and oregano. Once fragrant, pour in the wine and scrape up the browned bits. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes to reduce.
- Simmer. Add the meat back to the pot, dump in the tomatoes, and stir in the remaining ingredients. Simmer over low heat for 2 to 3 hours.
- Finish. Season to taste and serve.
Tips for Making Sunday Sauce
These tips will help you make sure your sauce turns out perfect!
- Store it for later. Sunday gravy freezes well, so don’t be afraid to make a big batch and store it for quick weeknight nights. Transfer it to an airtight container or freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months; thaw in the refrigerator before reheating.
- Don’t skip the browning step. Browning the meat adds depth of flavor to the sauce. Don’t crowd the pot, either—that will keep the meat from browning!
- Experiment with different meats. Feel free to mix things up and use your favorite cuts of meat in this sauce.
- Be patient. The longer this sauce simmers, the better it will taste. Be patient and let it cook low and slow for best results. You can even cook it for more than 3 hours if you like!
- Make your own meatballs. If you have the time, making homemade meatballs for this sauce will take it to the next level of deliciousness.
How to Use Sunday Gravy
These are some of my favorite ways to use Sunday sauce:
- Pasta. The most traditional way to enjoy Sunday gravy is over a generous helping of pasta. Spaghetti, rigatoni, or penne all pair well with this meaty sauce.
- Lasagna. Try your Sunday gravy in Skillet Lasagna or this Lasagna Bolognese. Almost any lasagna recipe will work with this sauce, though!
- Eggplant Parmesan. Although eggplant Parmesan is usually vegetarian, you can make it meaty by serving it with Sunday sauce.
- Stuffed peppers. Mix the sauce with cooked white rice and mozzarella, then fill halved bell peppers with the mixture. Top with a bit more sauce and cheese, then bake until the peppers are tender and the filling is cooked through.
More Sauce Recipes
- Teriyaki Sauce
- Roasted Tomato Sauce
- Romesco Sauce Recipe
- Homemade Alfredo Sauce
- Homemade Vodka Sauce
- How to Make Bechamel Sauce
- Homemade Spaghetti Sauce
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Get the Recipe: Sunday Gravy Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 lb pork shoulder or country style boneless pork chops, cut into large pieces
- 1 lb sweet sausage links, cut in half
- 1 lb hot sausage links, cut in half
- 1 lb meatballs
- 2 medium Vidalia onions, or other sweet onion diced
- 1 cup finely diced carrots
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- 4 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
- 1 cup red wine, I used Chianti
- 56 ounces Canned fire roasted crushed tomatoes , 2-28 ounce cans
- 2 (28-ounce) cans pureed tomatoes
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
- 3 teaspoons granulated sugar
- salt and pepper, to taste
Equipment
- large dutch oven
Instructions
- In a large, heavy dutch oven or stock pot, heat olive oil over med/high heat. Add the pork being careful not to crowd the pot.
- Cook over med/high heat until browned on all sides and remove with a slotted spoon to a large bowl. Drain all but 2 tablespoons of the fat, add the sausage to the pot, working in batches, and cook until browned on all sides. Remove with slotted spoon and add to the bowl with the pork. Drain all but 2 tablespoons of fat
- Add the diced onions and carrots to the pot and cook until the onions are translucent and softened stirring occasionally.
- Add the garlic and oregano, continue to cook for about 1-2 minutes. Add the wine to the pot and scrape any brown bits left on the bottom, stir and let the wine cook down for approximately 2-3 minutes.
- Add the meat back to the pot with the onions and stir to combine. Add all four cans of tomatoes and stir thoroughly. Stir in the parsley, basil, sugar, salt and pepper.
- Turn the heat down to low and simmer for approximately 2-3 hours stirring occasionally. Before serving, taste the sauce for seasoning….since this is a large recipe you may need to adjust the sugar, salt and pepper to suit your tast