Mom’s Italian Gravy

Italian gravy, sometimes called Sunday gravy, is a slow-simmered tomato sauce made with sausage, pork, garlic, onion, and herbs until it’s rich, thick, and full of flavor. It’s the kind of pasta sauce that has people wandering into the kitchen every twenty minutes to ask how much longer, as if that will speed things up. Give it a few hours on the stove, and the payoff is a pot of sauce worth waiting for.

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As a kid, nothing turned around a miserable slog through slush and snow on the way home from school. Like opening the door and having the unmistakable smells of my mom’s famous spaghetti sauce smack me in the face. It filled the house with its savory aroma. My mother would have to guard it against the intrusion of exploratory spoons from anyone lingering in the kitchen. We’d load the plates up with spaghetti to get as much gravy as possible.

We piled it high over spaghetti, and always hoped there would be leftovers. We ate it with my mom’s sesame-seed toasted Italian salad on the side. These days, grown adults still head home from family dinners carrying containers of gravy like prized contraband.

Key Ingredients and Substitutions

These ingredients reflect the way my family always made Italian gravy, with a few practical notes and substitution options.

The complete ingredient list and measurements are listed in the printable recipe below.

• Pork Neck Bones: This cut has long been valued in traditional home cooking, where inexpensive cuts were transformed through time and patience into something rich and tender. The meat benefits from the long braise, which breaks down the collagen. If you can’t locate any neck bones, substitute cross-cut rib tips, as they will provide a similar flavor and texture to the sauce.
• Hot Italian Sausage: Johnsonville is the brand I grew up with, but any hot Italian-style sausage would work. If you don’t like spicy food, use regular Italian sausage, which will still have the fennel notes the sauce needs. You can fine-tune the spice level by adding more or fewer red pepper flakes.
• Tomato Paste: It may be tempting to add canned or jarred tomato sauce, but the savoriness of this sauce comes from building up the fond and adding the umami of tomato paste to enhance deep, rich flavors. Stock can be used in place of water for even more flavor, but it isn’t necessary, as the pork and sausage flavor the gravy as it simmers.
• Fresh Garlic: My mom always pressed the garlic instead of mincing it. She claimed it kept the garlic from burning while still releasing its full flavor into the oil.
• Yellow Onion: A medium yellow onion adds body and a natural sweetness to the gravy. You want a small dice so that it melts into the sauce. The onions also help scrape up the browned bits from the meat, incorporating all those rich flavors back into the gravy.
• Garlic and Onion Powder: You might wonder why we need these when we already use fresh garlic and onions. Right or wrong, my mom taught me that the powdered versions add a different type of savory base note that you can’t get from fresh alone. The fresh ingredients give you that bright, immediate flavor, while the powders create a mellower background note that deepens as the sauce cooks. It’s not about doubling up but creating layers of flavor.
• Cornstarch: This isn’t a lot, and it isn’t cheating. We add just enough to give the sauce body without making it gummy. A small amount of cornstarch helps the gravy thicken enough to cling to the pasta without becoming heavy. Mix it with cold water first to make a slurry, which keeps it smooth and prevents lumps when added to the pot.
• Grated Parmesan: A small amount of grated Parmesan adds saltiness, savoriness, and a background richness people notice even if they can’t quite place it. Stirred into the sauce while it simmers, it melts right in and helps round out the final flavor. Use freshly grated if you’d like, but the green can works just fine here.

How to Make Italian Gravy (or Sauce)

Here are the quick, step-by-step instructions with visuals; you can find the full instructions, including the exact ingredients, in the recipe card below.

Pro-tip: The longer this Italian gravy simmers, the deeper the flavor.

1. Brown the Sausage: Add 1 to 2 ounces of olive oil to a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the uncut sausage and brown on all sides. If you are using rib tips, cut them between the bones into 1½- to 2-inch cubes while the sausage is browning.

2. Brown the Pork: Turn the sausages onto their curved sides, leaning them against the side of the Dutch oven. Then add the neck bones or cut pork tips, meat side down, to cover the bottom of the pot. After the meat has been evenly browned, remove it from the pot and set it aside.

3. Cook the Onions and Garlic: Add the remaining olive oil to the Dutch oven and heat until shimmering. In the Dutch oven, add the diced onions and sweat them until translucent. Move them around and scrape up the fond that formed from browning the sausage and pork tips. Add the minced or pressed garlic and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring frequently to make sure you don’t burn the garlic.

4. Build the Base of the Gravy. Add the tomato paste and work it into the onions and garlic, continuing to scrape the bottom of the Dutch oven to pick up the remaining fond. It should darken slightly and smell sweeter, not raw.

5. Add the Herbs and Spices: Once the tomato paste has darkened a bit, usually after 3-5 minutes, add 2 cups of water and mix thoroughly to a smooth consistency. Combine the cornstarch with 1 cup of water in a small bowl to make a slurry. Add the 1 cup of water, garlic powder, onion powder, grated Parmesan, paprika, dried parsley, dried basil, dried oregano, sugar, cornstarch slurry, and salt, and combine well, making sure to scrape the bottom of the Dutch oven to mix everything and that it has been completely deglazed.

6. Add the Meat to the Gravy: Cut each sausage link into 3-4 pieces. Then add them, along with the pork, back to the Dutch oven with the tomato paste mixture. Stir the sauce to coat the sausage and pork evenly, then turn the heat to low and simmer for 2-4 hours. If the gravy gets too thick, add a splash of water near the end of cooking rather than thinning it too early. When it’s ready to serve, top your favorite pasta with the sauce, along with pieces of sausage and pork meat. Sprinkle with grated or shredded cheese.

Make-Ahead and Storage

Make-Ahead: Italian gravy is a great make-ahead meal, and the flavor is often even better the next day. Let it simmer in the morning for dinner that night, or make the full batch a day or two ahead and reheat when needed.

How to Store: Let the gravy cool, then refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for 3 to 4 days. For longer storage, freeze in freezer-safe containers or zip-top freezer bags for up to 3 months. We like freezer bags because they stack neatly and thaw faster.

How to Reheat: Thaw frozen gravy in the refrigerator overnight when possible. Reheat on the stovetop over medium heat, stirring occasionally, and add a splash of water if it has thickened too much. For the microwave, heat in short intervals, stirring between each round until hot.

Recipe Tips and Notes

• Fond is your friend. These brown bits of cooked sausage and pork will add a ton of flavor to the gravy.
• Don’t use canned or diced tomatoes. Canned tomatoes will dilute the rich, deep, umami flavor from cooking the tomato paste in the fond.
• Choose the right pasta. Wide noodles, rigatoni, or spaghetti all work well here. Use a sturdy enough shape to hold up to the meat and thick sauce.
• Stir occasionally during the long simmer. Give the pot an occasional stir during the simmer, especially in the final hour, to prevent sticking on the bottom.