Beef and Pork Italian Sunday Gravy

In Italian-American homes, Sunday gravy is less a recipe than a ritual: a great pot of tomato sauce, enriched with meatballs and slow-braised cuts of pork and beef, simmering on the stove from morning until the family gathers. The long, gentle cook is the whole point — it melts the meat to tenderness and folds all that savory richness into the sauce. It is a dish that asks for a leisurely day and repays it with a table full of people.

The Meatballs & the Sear

Depth is built by browning. Mix the meatballs gently — overworking makes them dense — and set them aside to bake later, then sear the other cuts of pork and beef hard until a deep crust forms on every side. That fond, the browned bits left in the pot, is pure flavor, and it becomes the backbone of the gravy. Set the seared meats aside while you build the sauce; they will return to finish cooking, slow and low, until spoon-tender.

The Slow Braise

Soften the garlic and onion in the rendered fat, pour in the red wine and simmer it nearly away, and add the tomatoes to build the sauce, scraping up every browned bit. Return all the meat to the pot, tuck in the herbs, and let it braise at the barest simmer for hours — stirring now and then so nothing catches — until the meat is falling apart and the gravy has thickened into something glossy and profound. Serve it over your pasta of choice, with the meats piled alongside or right on top.

Jorj Morgan

Beef and Pork Italian Sunday Gravy

Sunday Gravy invites an afternoon of slow, aromatic indulgence, marrying tender beef short ribs, savory Italian sausage, and hand-rolled meatballs in a rich, deeply braised tomato sauce. This magnificent, family-style masterpiece transforms humble ingredients into a luxurious, soul-satisfying experience.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 4 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Total Time 5 hours hrs

Servings: 8 servings

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

The Searing Proteins

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 meaty beef short ribs
• 3 teaspoons kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons coarse black pepper
• 4 links Italian sausage

The Aromatics & Braising Liquid

• 2 large white onions, peeled and diced (about 2 cups)
• 6 garlic cloves, peeled and minced, about 2 tablespoons
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 2 cups red wine
• 2 28-ounce cans crushed tomatoes
• 1 6-ounce can tomato paste
• 1 quart homemade beef stock, or prepared low sodium broth
• 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
• 12 (2-inch) meatballs (see Cook’s Tip for recipe)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil, for baking

The Serving Elements

• 1 pound dried fettuccine pasta
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• Grated Parmesan cheese, for serving

Method

 

The Protein Sear

1. Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven (or large pot) over medium-high heat.
2. Season the short ribs with salt and pepper.
3. Cook the short ribs on all sides until they are well browned. This should take you about 10 minutes. Transfer the short ribs to a platter.
4. Cut the sausage links in half creating two smaller links. Cook the sausage in the oil until well browned, about 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer the sausage to the same platter as the short ribs.

Building the Gravy

1. Reduce the heat to medium, add the onions to the oil and cook until softened and beginning to turn golden, about 3 to 5 minutes.
2. Stir in the garlic. Pour in the wine.
3. Simmer until the wine almost completely disappears.
4. Pour in the crushed tomatoes. Stir in the tomato paste. Pour in three cups of the beef stock. Stir in the sugar and season with salt and pepper.

The Slow Braise

1. Add the short ribs and sausage back to the sauce.
2. Cover and simmer on very low heat until the rib meat is falling off the bone, 4 hours or more on the stove top, 8 hours on low in a slow cooker, or 6 hours in a 250° oven.
3. Preheat the oven to 400°. Coat a rimmed baking sheet with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Place the meatballs onto the baking sheet and gently roll them in the oil. Bake until the meatballs are cooked through and the outside are golden brown, about 15 minutes. Gently place the meatballs into the sauce. Simmer for at least another 30 minutes. If your sauce is too thick, you can add more beef stock. If your sauce is too thin, you can stir in more tomato paste. Taste and add more salt if you like.

The Pasta Assembly

1. Cook pasta in salted boiling water according to the directions on the package.
2. Drain the pasta and pour into a large bowl. Ladle some of the Sunday Gravy over the pasta and toss to coat the noodles. Ladle more sauce over the pasta and include the short rib meat, sausage and meatballs. Sprinkle with parsley.
3. Serve family style with grated Parmesan cheese on the side.

Notes

Cook’s Tip: You can purchase prepared meatballs in the butcher department of the grocery store. But, if you would like to make your own, it’s easy to do. Soak 2 to 3 slices of bread with about ¼ cup milk for 10 minutes. Place ¾ pound of lean ground beef and ¾ pound ground pork in a small bowl. Season with ½ teaspoon dried oregano, 1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley, 1 tablespoon of grated Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Add the soaked bread and any excess milk to the meat. Use your hands to gently combine all the ingredients and form into 2-inch balls. The gentler your hands, the fluffier the meatball.