Italian Sunday Gravy Recipe - Hearty Sunday Sauce with Pork, Italian Sausage and Homemade Meatballs

beef

🥗Healthier: lean ground turkey

💰Cheaper: ground beef

Turkey is lower in fat, while ground beef is often more affordable.

Italian sausage

🥗Healthier: chicken sausage

💰Cheaper: pork sausage

Chicken sausage is lower in calories, while pork sausage can be cheaper.

Start by mentioning the recipe is for Sunday gravy, emphasizing its rich flavor and comfort food qualities.

Introduce the ingredients, stating that the main focus is on the pork, mentioning options like pork chops or steak sausage.

Prepare the meatballs ahead of time, stating they were made the day before to save time.

Chop two onions and a couple of garlic cloves, mentioning that fresh basil is better but dried is acceptable.

Add a couple of tablespoons of sugar to enhance the tomato flavor, explaining that it doesn't make the sauce sweet.

Discuss the type of tomato sauce to use, suggesting a blend of regular tomato sauce, crushed tomatoes, or tomato puree for desired consistency.

Use a blender to pulse the tomatoes to a consistency between crushed and thin.

Add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil to a large pot and brown the pork ribs first, seasoning with salt and pepper, noting that the pork will finish cooking in the sauce.

Brown the Italian sausage in the same pot after the pork, then add the onions and sauté until soft.

Add garlic and stir until fragrant, waiting for someone to comment on the smell as an indicator that it's ready.

Deglaze the pot with red wine, scraping up the bits from the bottom, and let it simmer until reduced.

Add dried basil, crushing it to release flavors, and a little sugar to balance the acidity.

Introduce the raw meatballs directly into the pot, explaining that they need to be added raw and not stirred until they firm up a bit.

Cover the pot and let the sauce simmer for about five hours, stirring occasionally and checking for burning.

After four hours, mention the layer of fat on top due to the fatty pork, explaining how to remove it with a spoon or using ice cubes to solidify the fat for easy removal.

Prepare pasta in salted water, ensuring it doesn't stick, and remove the pork ribs from the sauce, taking out the bones.

Finish the pasta with the sauce, leaving some pasta water in the pot for better consistency.

Make garlic and herb butter for the bread by creating a paste with garlic and coarse salt, then adding pepper and dried basil.

Toast the bread in the oven at 350 degrees for about five minutes until crusty, then serve with the garlic butter.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

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Dietary