Ah, Sunday Gravy — the ultimate Italian-American comfort food! It’s a rich, slow-simmered tomato sauce loaded with meats like meatballs, sausage, and sometimes pork, served over pasta. It’s called “gravy” in some Italian-American families because that’s what tomato sauce over meat is traditionally called in the Northeast U.S.

Here’s a classic version:

---

🍅 Sunday Gravy (Italian-American Style)

Ingredients

For the sauce:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 4–5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 (28 oz) can whole peeled tomatoes, crushed by hand or blended
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tsp sugar (optional, balances acidity)
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp salt (to taste)
• ½ tsp black pepper
• ½ cup red wine (optional, but adds depth)
• 1–2 bay leaves

Meats (classic mix):

• 4–6 Italian sausage links
• 1–2 lbs meatballs (beef, pork, or a mix)
• 1–2 pork ribs or pork shoulder chunks (optional)
• 1–2 pieces of braciole (rolled thin beef stuffed with garlic, parsley, cheese — optional)

To serve:

• Pasta (rigatoni, spaghetti, or your choice)
• Grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano

---

⭐ Instructions

1. Brown the meats

1. In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium-high heat.
2. Brown sausage, meatballs, and any other meats on all sides (don’t fully cook through). Remove and set aside.

---

2. Make the base sauce

1. In the same pot, sauté onions until translucent.
2. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds until fragrant.
3. Stir in tomato paste and cook 1–2 minutes.
4. Deglaze with red wine (if using), scraping up browned bits.
5. Add crushed and canned tomatoes, sugar, oregano, basil, bay leaves, salt, and pepper.

---

3. Combine and simmer

1. Return meats to the pot.
2. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce heat to low.
3. Cover partially and simmer 3–4 hours, stirring occasionally. Longer simmer = richer flavor.
4. Meat will become tender and sauce thick and flavorful.

---

4. Serve

1. Cook pasta until al dente.
2. Ladle gravy over pasta and top with Parmesan or Pecorino.
3. Slice meats to serve on the side or on top.

---

⭐ Tips

• Use a mix of meats for depth: pork, beef, sausage, meatballs.
• Simmering low and slow is key — 4+ hours is traditional.
• You can make it a day ahead; flavor improves overnight.
• Freeze leftovers in portions — it reheats beautifully.

---

If you want, I can also give you a weekend feast version with full meatball, braciole, and pork ribs instructions, perfect for a real “Sunday dinner” table.

Do you want me to make that full feast version?