Posted on 09/21/2025 5:55:05 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
Nothing beats the smell of Sunday sauce simmering on the stovetop. It was an all-too-familiar smell in my Italian American household when I was growing up, and an indication that a tasty family dinner was up ahead.
Not familiar with Sunday sauce? This dish goes by other names like Sunday gravy or sugo and is a rich marinara-like sauce that has been cooked with meat — usually beef, pork, or lamb — for several hours on the stovetop, creating both a pasta sauce with lots of depth and braised pieces of meat in tow.
How Do You Make Sunday Sauce?
Every household prepares Sunday sauce differently. My mother, father, and grandmother would prepare the sauce for me, each with a slight variation in flavor due to different choices regarding the meat they added in or tomatoes, but all following the same basic principles:
No holding back on olive oil
High-quality canned Italian tomatoes (or fresh!)
Browned meat
Several hours on the stove top
This recipe combines the best of my family’s tips, but it isn’t so strict that it has to be followed to a T to get one of the best sauces you’ve ever had. So like this sauce passed down from generations and the sauces of other Italian families, start with my recipe and, over time, find a way to make it your own (perhaps served with some favorite pasta side dishes).
Why Is It Called Sunday Sauce?
Traditionally, due to its longer cooking time, this sauce has been prepared during the day on the weekends — in particular, Sundays — and served at a family-style dinner that evening.
How to Serve Sunday Sauce
Over pasta! Shred or cut the meat and serve in the sauce like a ragù, or keep the meat whole or cut into pieces and serve alongside on a platter (like we do in my family), letting everyone decide what type and how much meat they like.
Full recipe at link.
Those are some GREAT memories! Thanks!
My FIL used to do something similar - with his brood of 14 kids! (Blended family; he was widowed and remmaried a number of years later)
There was always a pot of ‘Big John’s Soup’ on the stove and that collected any and all leftovers, too.
Lots and lots of family stories about that never-ending pot of soup, LOL!
It sounds good. I have to confess my “Sunday sauce” usually means commercial BBQ sauce out of a bottle.
Thank you for sharing that. I lost my Dad three years ago now. He was a good guy. :)
Yep. Those were good times. We were expected at the table every evening. Period. Kids visiting told to go home, phone calls were put off, anyone who came to the door was told to come back later. We had to ask permission to leave the table and then clear our plates, leftover food in the garbage, the dishes placed correctly in the sink.
My job was to set the table and it had better be done right placemats, cloth napkins folded correctly, proper placement of cutlery or I’d sternly hear about it.
This was every night! I miss those times.
People don’t eat together any more, so sad. On Sunday growing up the Italians gathered at Grandma’s house - every Sunday around 1pm. We also ate dinner together, at home, every night. Again that does not happen. I know husbands and wives who don’t eat together, so odd.
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