The Best Authentic Sunday Pasta Sauce (Sunday Gravy)
A classic, slow-simmered Italian-American ‘Sunday Pasta Sauce’. This recipe builds a deep and rich flavor by first roasting a combination of meats—beef shank, pork spareribs, and chicken thighs—until they are well browned. A sauce base is created with sautéed onions and garlic, crushed tomatoes, and tomato paste. The crucial step of deglazing the roasting pan captures all the flavorful browned bits. The roasted meats are then simmered in the sauce for four hours until they are fall-apart tender.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 4 hours 35 minutes
- Total Time: 4 hours 50 minutes
- Yield: 10 servings
- Category: Sauce
- Method: Roasting, Simmering
- Cuisine: Italian-American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 (1 inch thick) slice beef shank
- 2 pounds pork spareribs
- 2 bone-in chicken thighs
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 pinch salt
- 6 cloves garlic
- 3 (28 ounce) cans crushed Italian (plum) tomatoes (e.g., San Marzano)
- 2 cups water, divided
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- ¼ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf (Italian) parsley
- 2 teaspoons salt, or to taste
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C).
- Drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil in the bottom of a large roasting pan. Place the beef shank, pork spareribs, and chicken thighs in the pan and turn to coat with the oil.
- Roast in the preheated oven for 20 to 30 minutes, until the meat is well browned.
- While the meat roasts, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat.
- Cook and stir the diced onion with a pinch of salt in the hot oil for about 5 minutes, until the onion is soft and translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute until fragrant.
- Pour the crushed tomatoes, 1 1/2 cups of water, and the tomato paste into the onion mixture.
- Add the roasted beef, pork, and chicken to the pot with the tomato sauce.
- Pour the remaining 1/2 cup of water into the hot roasting pan. Bring it to a boil on the stovetop or by carefully returning to the oven, scraping the browned bits (fond) from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Pour this flavorful liquid into the pot with the sauce and meat.
- Stir the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, parsley, 2 teaspoons of salt, ground black pepper, and red pepper flakes into the sauce.
- Bring the sauce to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low, and simmer gently for about 4 hours, until the sauce has reduced and the meat is very tender.
- Transfer the cooked meat to a separate dish. Adjust the seasonings in the sauce to taste. The meat can be served alongside pasta or shredded and returned to the sauce.
Notes
- The two-stage cooking process of roasting and then simmering the meats is crucial for developing the deep, rich flavor of a traditional Sunday sauce.
- Deglazing the roasting pan is an essential step to capture all the caramelized flavors from the roasting process and add them to the sauce.
- The long, 4-hour simmering time is key to tenderizing the meats and melding all the flavors together.
Find it online: https://cookupjoy.com/sunday-pasta-sauce/