Cooking with Karl - The Sunday Sauce

A Family Tradition–The Sunday Sauce. A recipe worth gathering around and simmered to perfection. My friend Lou LaGuardia taught me how to make his Italian family’s Sunday sauce, a recipe passed down through generations. This classic Italian sauce starts early on Sunday morning and simmers for hours on the stove. By the time it’s ready, the house is filled with wonderful aromas, and family gathers around the table for a hearty, satisfying meal. And that’s really the most important ingredient: the family gathers.

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 3 hours

Total Time: Approximately 3½ hours

Servings: 6–8

Ingredients for the Sauce

2–3 T good olive oil

6 Italian sausage links

1 pork neck bone

1 C red wine

2 (28-oz.) cans tomato purée

2 (28-oz.) cans tomato sauce

1 (6-oz.) can tomato paste

2 bay leaves

1 T garlic powder

1 T onion powder

1 T black pepper

2 T dried parsley

Ingredients for the Meatballs (6)

1 lb. 80/20 ground beef

1 egg

½ C Italian-style breadcrumbs

½ C grated Romano cheese

1 T each onion powder, garlic powder and black pepper

2 T dried parsley

Directions

1. START THE SAUCE

Heat olive oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Brown the Italian sausage and pork neck bone on all sides. Add the red wine and simmer until reduced by about half, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pot.

2. BUILD THE SAUCE

Add the tomato sauce, purée and paste. Rinse each can with a little water and add it to the pot. Stir in the garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper and parsley. Add the bay leaves. Add 1t kosher salt. Bring to a light boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer.

3. MAKE THE MEATBALLS

In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, egg, breadcrumbs, Romano cheese and seasonings. Mix well and form into six meatballs.

4. SIMMER TO PERFECTION

Carefully add the raw meatballs to the simmering sauce. Bring back to a gentle boil for a few minutes, then reduce the heat. Cover and simmer for 2 hours. Uncover and continue the simmer, stirring occasionally, for an hour. The longer it simmers, the better it gets! Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.

5. SERVE AND ENJOY

Remove the bay leaves and pork bones before serving. Toss a little sauce with your favorite pasta and serve the remaining sauce, sausage and meatballs separately on the side.