Sunday Sauce never tasted so good! This recipe makes Italian Sausage in a rich tomato sauce – an Italian-American classic.
Add meatballs for a classic Italian Sunday dinner.
I’ve been making this recipe since I was a little girl. I made it on Sundays alongside my mother and Italian grandmother growing up and I’m so happy to pass it on to you.
Why This Recipe Works
- Slow cooking the sauce with the sausage adds a lot of extra flavor.
- The fresh basil adds sweetness cutting down on the acidity.
- The use of fresh garlic and herbs gives it a flavor profile that can’t be beat.
Sunday Sauce {Sunday Gravy}
Italian Americans everywhere have a family Sunday sauce (also known as Sunday gravy). It’s a meal that cooks all day and brings the family together for a delicious weekend meal.
When I say this is a staple in my house I really mean it. Once every few weeks, I make a huge pot of it this sauce and we have it for Sunday dinner.
Then I break it up into portions (some with sausage and some without) and freeze it for easy weeknight meals when we need them.
How To Make Sunday Sauce
Start with browning the sausages until they are a deep brown. Remove from heat and set aside.
Heat some olive oil in a large pot and saute chopped onions until soft.
For extra depth of flavor, once soft, allow the onions to brown and then scrape any crispy bits into the tomatoes.
Add garlic and cook another minute before adding the crushed tomatoes.
Add the browned sausage
Add fresh basil and parsley.
Don’t skip the fresh basil. It adds a herby sweetness that just can’t be beat.
Stir in seasoning, bring to a boil, and simmer at least one hour.
As the sauce cooks, it thickens and becomes more and more flavorful the longer it cooks.
Taste for seasoning before serving and season to taste and serve over spaghetti.
Enjoy Every Last bite.
For Perfect Spaghetti and Sausage
- Cook Slow and Low. The longer the sauce cooks, the better it tastes.
- Don’t forget to stir! Be sure to stir your sauce every half hour or so to avoid sticking to the bottom of the pot.
- During the cooking process, if the sauce looks too thick, add a 1/2 cup of water at a time until it’s your desired consistency.
- If you like your sauce extra thick, you can add a couple of tablespoons of tomato paste to the sauce to thicken it.
- If the sauce is too acidic you can add a teaspoon of sugar at a time to balance it out.
- If the sauce tastes too sweet, you can add a teaspoon of red wine vinegar at a time (tasting in between) to cut the sweetness.
- Add meatballs for a traditional Sunday Sauce.
- You can also cook this recipe in a slow cooker –Prepare on your stove up to the simmering step, and then throw everything into your slow cooker. Cook on low heat for up to 8 hours.
Other Italian Dishes You’ll Love
FAQs
Yes. I make huge batches and once cooled, I freeze in individual servings putting the sauce and a couple of sausage into freezer-safe containers to eat on busy nights. It can freeze for up to 3 months.
Place in an airtight containder for up to three days.
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Let’s Make Italian Sausage Sunday Sauce
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 pounds good quality Italian sausages
- 1 large onion finely chopped
- 8 large garlic cloves minced
- 4 28-ounce cans crushed tomatoes with added puree
- 12 large basil leaves torn
- a good handful of fresh parsley chopped with the stalks
- 2 tablespoons teaspoons fresh oregano leaves chopped or dried
- Salt
- Pepper
Instructions
- Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil a large saucepan over medium-high heat.
- Pierce the sausages in several places with a fork (this keeps them from bursting when cooked) and add them to the saucepan.
- Brown the sausages until they are a deep brown (being careful not to let them stick to the pan) Remove the sausages from the pan and set aside (disregarding all but 1 tablespoons of fat in the pan).
- Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in the pan with the remaining fat from the sausage (if there was no leftover fat from the sausage, use two tablespoons of oil instead).
- Add the onion and sauté over medium heat, stirring frequently until they start to look transparent (about 5 minutes).
- Add the garlic and sauté for another minute.
- Add the crushed tomatoes and stir well to combine.
- Add the herbs along with some salt and pepper and stir to combine all the ingredients.
- Bring the mixture to a boil and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 2-3 hours, stirring frequently to make sure the sauce doesn’t stick to the pan.
- Taste the sauce before serving to make sure it doesn’t need more seasoning.
- Bring a large pan of water to a boil and cook the spaghetti according to the package instructions being careful not to overcook.
- Serve the sausage and sauce over spaghetti.
Tips + Notes
Tips For The Perfect Spaghetti and Italian Sausage
- Cook Slow and Low. The longer the sauce cooks, the better it tastes.
- Don’t forget to stir! Be sure to stir your sauce every half hour or so to avoid sticking to the bottom of the pot.
- During the cooking process, if the sauce looks too thick, add a 1/2 cup of water at a time until it’s your desired consistency.
- If you like your sauce extra thick, you can add a couple of tablespoons of tomato paste to the sauce to thicken it.
- If the sauce is too acidic you can add a teaspoon of sugar at a time to balance it out.
- If the sauce tastes too sweet, you can add a teaspoon of red wine vinegar at a time (tasting in between) to cut the sweetness.
- You can also cook this recipe in a slow cooker – Prepare on your stove up to the simmering step, and then throw everything into your slow cooker. Cook on low heat for up to 8 hours.
Nutrition Information:
Update Notes: This post was originally published in 2014, but was republished with new photos, step by step instructions, tips, and FAQs in Jan of 2020.
Scott Fay says
While in high school I worked in an Italian restaurant and fell in love with sausage links cooked all day in spaghetti sauce. I’ve tried doing it myself but used jarred sauce and because it is already cooked down, it just cooks down more and ruins the sauce, even though the sausage comes out OK.
So I realized I need to cook the sausage while the sauce itself is cooking and developing its flavors. This recipe is perfect. I used San Marzano canned tomatoes which I’ve found to taste so much better than others, and I only had dried herbs, but they still worked well. The sauce and sausages came out amazing! Highly recommended!
I do want to point out that the step to add the sausages back into the pot when the tomatoes are added is left out in the directions in the recipe you can print. It is mentioned in the step by step directions with the pictures.
Erren's Kitchen says
Hi Scott, thank you so much for all your feedback, I’m glad the recipe worked well for you. This is actually one of my earliest recipes and is soon to be updated, your feedback is so useful. 🙂
Andrea H. says
Delicious and the directions are excellent. I love your section on why the recipe works, and the section on how to adjust the flavor is very helpful. I’ll definitely come back to your site for more recipes.
Erren's Kitchen says
Thank you so much Andrea, it’s so kind of you to take the time to let me know 🙂
JessJerz says
The problem isn’t the recipe it’s where to sincerely get the right can of tomatoes that don’t contain the wrong ingredients doesn’t taste metallic etc that’s my issue I know this woman In NJ who has her own Italian restaurant n she used to have the best food and sauce she used Supremo Tomatoes
Sophie says
I have been looking for a good meaty sauce, and this is it! My picky husband who really doesn’t like spaghetti even complimented me on this meal tonight.
Erren Hart says
I’m delighted to hear you liked it so much! 🙂
Melissa says
Just like my mom used to make! Loved it!
Erren's Kitchen says
That’s so good to hear, thank you Melissa
Deborah says
Love this! Except we call it “gravy” in our house. 😉
It doesn’t take that long and it’s super delicious so I’m always amazed that people still use the stuff in the jar.
Erren's Kitchen says
It really is worth the little extra effort, isn’t it? So glad you enjoyed it!:-)
Eli says
Nice blog! This is a wonderful recipe! Thanks so much
Janette says
I’ve used this recipe for years – so much flavor. Love this recipe!
Erren Hart says
Thank you so much Janette! That makes me so happy 🙂
Sarah Westendorf says
I used this recipe in a food roundup on my blog, DashandaPinch! Thanks so much for letting me link to your blog. http://dashandapinch.com/2014/10/recipe-roundup-homemade-pasta-sauces/
Thalia @ butter and brioche says
This spaghetti dish looks incredibly hearty and delicious, I must recreate the recipe. Pinned!
Erren says
Thanks so much Thailia! 🙂 Let me know if you try it!