Description
A rich, hearty Italian-American Sunday gravy simmered for hours with beef short ribs and Italian sausage. This deeply flavorful sauce combines red wine, aromatic herbs, and tomatoes for an authentic taste of Italian heritage.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1¼ cups red wine (divided: 1 cup plus ¼ cup)
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 4 beef short ribs
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 28-ounce cans whole peeled tomatoes
- 1 6-ounce can tomato paste
- 1 28-ounce can tomato sauce
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1 tablespoon dried basil
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- ¼ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
- 1 pound Italian sausage, cooked and drained
- 1 pound pasta, for serving
Instructions
- Roast the Meat Base: Preheat the oven to 400°F. In a roasting pan, combine 1 cup red wine, olive oil, beef short ribs, chopped onion, minced garlic, salt, and black pepper. Stir thoroughly to coat all ingredients. Place the pan in the preheated oven and roast for 1 hour and 30 minutes, allowing the meat to develop a rich flavor and the vegetables to caramelize.
- Transfer and Deglaze: Remove the roasting pan from the oven and carefully transfer the entire mixture to a 6-quart stockpot over medium-low heat. Add the remaining ¼ cup of red wine to deglaze and capture all the flavorful bits. Let this mixture simmer for 30 minutes to further develop the flavors.
- Add Tomatoes and Seasonings: Add the whole peeled tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, beef broth, dried basil, dried oregano, and fresh parsley to the pot. Stir well to combine all ingredients. Allow the sauce to simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. This slow cooking process reduces the sauce and concentrates the flavors, which takes 4 to 6 hours.
- Finish with Sausage: Remove the beef short ribs from the sauce. Stir in the cooked and drained Italian sausage. Continue simmering the gravy for an additional hour to allow the sausage flavors to blend with the sauce.
- Serve: Serve this rich, meaty gravy over 1 pound of cooked pasta of your choice. The beef short ribs can be served alongside the pasta or reserved for another meal.
Notes
- For authentic Italian-American gravy, use a combination of sweet and hot Italian sausage for a balanced flavor. The meat from the short ribs can be shredded and returned to the sauce for extra richness. This sauce freezes exceptionally well and often tastes even better the next day as flavors continue to develop. Traditional Sunday gravy is typically served with rigatoni, but works beautifully with any robust pasta shape that can hold the hearty sauce.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 7 hours
- Category: Main-course
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: italian-American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 450
- Sugar: 10g
- Sodium: 1250mg
- Fat: 25g
- Saturated Fat: 8g
- Unsaturated Fat: 15g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 23g
- Fiber: 5g
- Protein: 28g
- Cholesterol: 75mg