Nonna’s Sunday Sauce
Recipe By: @mariabonadio_
🍝 Fun Fact: Sunday sauce—or Sunday gravy, depending on whose kitchen you grew up in—is less about one fixed recipe than the ritual: several cuts of meat slowly cooked in tomato sauce and served when the whole family finally makes it to the table.
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Ingredients
For the Braciole
Braciole meat
1 tsp parsley, garlic, onion & basil mixture
1 tbsp Pecorino Romano per piece
Toothpicks
For the Meatballs
2 lb veal, pork & beef mixture
2 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1 cup Pecorino Romano
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
2 tbsp parsley, garlic, onion & basil mixture
1 tbsp Marsala wine
Salt & pepper to taste
For the Meat
Braciole
Sausage
Pork bones
Neck bones
Beef bones
Flat iron steak
Salt & pepper
For the Sauce
4 tbsp carrot, celery, parsley, basil, onion & garlic mixture
6 jars tomato sauce
1 cup red wine
1/4 cup Marsala wine
Salt & pepper to taste
To Serve
1 lb rigatoni
Step By Step
1️⃣ Roll The Braciole
Spread the parsley, garlic, onion and basil mixture over the braciole meat. Sprinkle each piece with 1 tablespoon Pecorino Romano, roll tightly and secure with toothpicks.
2️⃣ Make The Meatballs
Combine the veal, pork and beef mixture with the eggs, milk, Pecorino Romano, breadcrumbs, herb mixture and Marsala. Season with salt and pepper, then form into meatballs.
3️⃣ Brown The Meats
Season the braciole, sausage, pork bones, neck bones, beef bones and flat iron steak with salt and pepper. Brown everything well in a large heavy pot.
4️⃣ Start The Sauce
Once the meat is browned, add the carrot, celery, parsley, basil, onion and garlic mixture to the pot. Pour in the tomato sauce, red wine and Marsala. Season with salt and pepper.
5️⃣ Let Sunday Happen
Return the browned meats to the sauce and let everything simmer slowly for about 3–4 hours. This is the part you cannot rush. The bones enrich the sauce, the braciole goes tender and the whole pot starts tasting like something that has been made this way for generations.
6️⃣ Cook The Meatballs
Cook the meatballs separately, then add them to the sauce.
7️⃣ Bring Everybody To The Table
Cook 1 pound rigatoni until al dente. Spoon over plenty of Sunday sauce and serve the meats alongside. Pecorino on the table. Bread nearby. Nobody leaves hungry.
