Old World Authentic Italian Sunday Sauce with Sausage
In many Italian-American households, Sunday means there’s red sauce simmering all day on the stove. It might be called sauce, sugo or gravy, and surely every family makes it differently, but the result is always a tomato sauce rich with meat.
Ingredients
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 – 2 tsp. crushed red pepper
- 18-ounces tomato paste
- 56-ounces tomato puree
- 56-ounces crushed tomatoes
- 9-¼ cups water
- 1 tbsp. salt, heaping
- 1 tbsp. black pepper, heaping
- 1 tbsp. oregano, heaping
- 1 large bay leaf
- 1-½ pounds Italian meatballs, browned
- 6 Italian fennel sausage links, browned and cut in half
- ½ – 1 cup red wine, optional
- Penne and Italian bread, optional
Instructions
- Coat the bottom of a large stockpot in oil and add the drippings from browning meatballs and sausage, if you have them.
- In the pot, over low heat, saute the garlic and red pepper for one minute.
- Add the 3 cans of tomato paste and saute in oil for one minute, being careful not to burn.
- Add the cans of crushed tomato and tomato puree; stir in the water and mix well.
- Stir in the salt, black pepper, oregano and bay leaf.
- Cook sauce, on medium-low heat, until it begins to boil; then turn it down to a simmer.
- Drop in the meatballs and sausage; stir well.
- About half way through cooking, stir in ½ to 1 cup red wine, if desired.
- Simmer on low for 3 hours uncovered, stirring frequently.
- Sauce will cook down; if it gets too thick, add water to desired consistency.
- After 3 hours, remove bay leaf.
- Serve over pasta or reserve the sauce for your favorite lasagna recipe.