Italian “Gravy”
Jan. 13, 2021
In any good, traditional Italian household, everyone knows that Sundays are for gravy. And in an Italian family, gravy means sauce of course.
Having a go-to Italian red sauce is a must not just for Sunday family dinner, but for entertaining as well. Red sauce tends to be a crowd pleaser and it’s easy to make a ton of for when you have a large group to feed.
I serve mine over linguine topped with grated parmesan and served with freshly toasted French baguette.
Ingredients
- 2 hot Italian pork sausage links
- 2 sweet Italian pork sausage links
- 28 oz can San Marzano peeled tomatoes
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
- 2 tbsp chopped garlic
- 1/2 cup fresh basil
- 3 sprigs fresh rosemary, bruised
- 1 tbsp EVOO
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/4 tsp red chili flakes
- 1 tbsp oregano
- 3-4 bay leaves
- 1/2 cup of red wine (optional)
- salt and pepper to taste
Directions
- Heat a large pot on medium heat.
- Once hot, add EVOO to coat the bottom of the pot and stir in hot and sweet sausage to brown.
- Turn heat to medium-low and add bay leaves, bell pepper, onion, and garlic. Sauté until onion is translucent – be careful not to burn.
- Remove bay leaves and add can of peeled tomatoes (including the liquid), rosemary, basil, sugar, chili flakes, oregano, and wine (optional).
- Turn heat to medium-high and bring the pot to a simmer, stirring to ensure the bottom of the liquid doesn’t burn.
- After a few minutes, turn heat to medium-low (more on the low side) and allow to simmer for 2 hours min. The longer the better, if you have the time.
- After 2 hours, your sauce is ready to be served over your choice of pasta and freshly toasted baguette. Enjoy!
With love,
Ashley Jo
