Italian Sunday Gravy

"Cher in Texas, Riffraff, and Bratty 1 have inspired me to post this recipe. It is a very humble dish and is usually my Sunday dinner. It is the Sunday dinner of many Italian-Americans. I know there are probably a million ways to make this dish--please give my version a try."
 
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photo by Diana Yen photo by Diana Yen
photo by Diana Yen
photo by Diana Yen photo by Diana Yen
photo by Diana Yen photo by Diana Yen
photo by Caroline Cooks photo by Caroline Cooks
Ready In:
3hrs 45mins
Ingredients:
19
Serves:
8-10
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ingredients

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directions

  • Heat oil in very large Dutch oven.
  • Add garlic and onions and saute until soft.
  • Add tomato paste and stir to combine.
  • Add crushed tomatoes and spices.
  • Stir bring to boil, lower heat to low--cover and simmer.
  • Meanwhile combine all meatball ingredients (except for flour and oil).
  • Form into balls about 2-1/2 inches in diameter.
  • Dredge meatballs in flour.
  • Fry meatballs in oil in skillet a few at a time until browned on all sides (not necessary to cook through they will cook in the sauce) Add fried meatballs from skillet directly to simmering sauce.
  • Stir and bring sauce back to a simmer.
  • Cover.
  • Place sausage in pot and cover with water.
  • Bring to a boil and boil about 5 minutes to remove some of the fat.
  • Brown boiled sausage in skillet.
  • Place browned sausage in simmering sauce.
  • Bring sauce back to simmer---cover and continue simmering for 2 hours over low heat---stir occassioanlly.
  • Remove meatballs and sausage from pot and place on serving dish.
  • Toss sauce with cooked pasta--You will have enough sauce to coat two pounds of cooked pasta.
  • This freezes very well!

Questions & Replies

  1. How do I delete some saved recipes? Thank you
     
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Reviews

  1. If this is how Italians eat on a Sunday I want to come back as "Tony" in my next life! This was so simple to put together, and everything worked. The meatballs, the sauce, the Italian sausage. I served this over a bed of linguini along with garlic bread. The sauce clung perfectly to every strand of pasta. One of my guests said it was like eating in a little Italian restaraunt in New York. Thank you Richard, for sharing this heritage recipe with us and taking us to the Bronx for one memorable meal!
     
  2. I don't know why, but I decided that after almost 20 years of making my mom's recipe, I felt like a change. Made this today, Sunday, for dinner. Simmered longer, but otherwise followed the recipe. It is close to my mom's but not quite it. Her meatballs have parsley and Italian seasoning and she doesn't dredge. These meatballs were good, but I think I am used to hers :) The gravy (or sauce as I call it) was wonderful...again, close to mom's, except this one has no salt or pepper (which I admit I thought was odd, but I didn't add it!) or cheese in it. So, after the novel I just wrote, I still think this is very deserving of 5 stars. The whole family loved it, didn't really notice much of a difference and they are soooo glad there are leftovers! Served over linguine with garlic bread.
     
  3. We loved this dish! Simple enough for just the two of us, or elegant enough for entertaining. I served it with linguine, a green salad, and garlic bread. It reminded us of a dish you would be served in a local italian restaurant. The ingredients meshed so well together. No trouble at all to make, and the results are so impressive. Richard has hit the mark again. If you are on the fence with this one, don't regard this as another spaghetti/meatballs dish, it is much more.
     
  4. After hearing Richard wax rhapsodic about this recipe in person, and reading all the wonderful reviews (except for Karen's, which was just posted), how could I NOT try this out? In a word: YOWZA! Just a few changes -- after sauteeing the garlic and onions in a saucepan I dumped all the sauce ingredients into my crockpot. I made up the meatballs (without the cheese) and just plopped those right into the sauce, no browning them first. No Italian sausage in the vicinity, so I used some hot Moroccan sausage. I started this all early in the morning, switched the crockpot on low and went off to work, swearing all the time I could smell it cooking across town. About 9 hours later I came home to find 2 Dornettes and various friends drooling in the living room. It was torture waiting for the pasta to cook, but we were well rewarded with the most astounding weeknight dinner we've had in a long time. My vegetarian Dornette practically wept with frustration, but still managed to stick to her principles in spite of the most amazing aroma coming off our dinner table. I've got plans to double, even triple the recipe and keep batches of it in the freezer for those times when I need my fix! I may even take pity on veggie-daughter and make up a batch with soy meat and soy sausage. Yo Richard, you really know what you're talking about!
     
  5. Wow Richie this was Magnifico! Made this Sunday for Monday nights dinner allowing the flavors to mend together. Only thing I did differently was add about 1/2 cup of vino. (you know me) and did not add the italian sausage only because my picky family wont eat it. (mental not find new family). lol. This recipe takes a little time but well worth it. This recipe also makes a lot so is great for large gatherings or freezing. Thank you Richard. Now aren't you glad you shared? :0)
     
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Tweaks

  1. I cook the gravy for a good four hours. Also, I add pork chops to the gravy as well. When making the meatballs, I soak several slices of bread in milk. And yes, I make them a good 2 1/2 inches in diameter.
     
  2. Richard....between you and Mean Chef, you boys certainly keep me looking so good! As far as I'm concerned THIS is the real italian sauce I grew up with down in Jersey...made by the first generation Italians! Only I used a handful of fresh basil instead of the Italian seasoning. Everything else was to the T! I'm keeping this one! Keep the great recipies coming! LA :-)
     
  3. That looks like sauce to me. We ate sauce every Sunday. Gravy is what you serve with turkey and roasts. SMH That's what was so wrong about The Soprano.
     

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