Best Carlas Sunday Pasta Sauce Recipes

CHEF JOHN'S SUNDAY PASTA SAUCE

Chef John's Sunday Pasta Sauce image

This sauce goes by many names, including Sunday sauce, since that's the day it's traditionally made, but for me growing up, this was just called 'sauce.' As long as you cook the meat long enough, and season thoughtfully, there's really no way this sauce isn't going to be great. So, while you may not have grown up in an Italian-American home, with this comforting sauce simmering on the stove every Sunday, your family still can. Serve the sauce over pasta and top with the tender meat.

Provided by Chef John

Categories Side Dish Sauces and Condiments Recipes Sauce Recipes Pasta Sauce Recipes Tomato

Time 4h50m

Yield 10

Number Of Ingredients 15

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 (1 inch thick) slice beef shank
2 pounds pork spareribs
2 bone-in chicken thighs
1 onion, diced
1 pinch salt
6 cloves garlic
3 (28 ounce) cans crushed Italian (plum) tomatoes (such as San Marzano)
2 cups water, divided
¼ cup tomato paste
¼ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf (Italian) parsley
2 teaspoons salt, or to taste
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

Steps:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
Drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil in the bottom of a large roasting pan. Place beef, pork, and chicken in pan and turn to coat with olive oil.
Roast in the preheated oven until meat is well browned, 20 to 30 minutes.
Heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Cook and stir onion with a pinch of salt in hot oil until onion is soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic; cook and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Pour crushed tomatoes, 1 1/2 cups water, and tomato paste into onion mixture. Add roasted beef, pork, and chicken to tomato sauce mixture.
Pour remaining 1/2 cup water into the roasting pan, and bring to a boil while scraping the browned bits of food off of the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Pour roasting pan water mixture into tomato mixture. Stir Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, Italian parsley, 2 teaspoons salt, ground black pepper, and red pepper flakes into tomato sauce; bring to a simmer, reduce heat to low, and simmer gently until sauce reduces and meat is tender, about 4 hours. Transfer meat to a dish. Adjust sauce seasonings to taste.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 338.9 calories, Carbohydrate 20.3 g, Cholesterol 70.8 mg, Fat 19.6 g, Fiber 5.1 g, Protein 23.2 g, SaturatedFat 6.4 g, Sodium 915.6 mg, Sugar 1.3 g

SUNDAY SAUCE

Sunday Sauce image

In many Italian American households, Sunday means there's red sauce simmering all day on the stove. It might be called sauce, sugo or gravy, and surely every family makes it differently, but the result is always a tomato sauce rich with meat. This recipe (which you can also make in a slow cooker) follows a classic route of using shreddy pork shoulder, Italian sausage and meatballs. Once the sauce is done, coat pasta in the sauce, spoon some meat on top and share it with the whole family alongside a green salad, crusty bread and red wine. The sauce can keep refrigerated for up to one week and frozen for up to three months.

Provided by Ali Slagle

Categories dinner, pastas, main course

Time 3h30m

Yield 6 to 8 servings

Number Of Ingredients 12

Ingredients

2 pounds boneless pork shoulder, cut into 3-inch chunks
Kosher salt and black pepper
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
1 pound hot or sweet Italian sausage, or a combination
1 yellow onion, coarsely chopped
6 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
1/3 cup red wine
2 (28-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
3 basil sprigs
1 pound uncooked homemade or store-bought meatballs
1 1/2 pounds tubular or long noodles, like rigatoni or spaghetti
Grated Parmesan or pecorino, for serving

Steps:

Season the pork shoulder all over with salt and pepper. In a large Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium high. Working in batches if necessary, cook the pork until browned on two sides, 8 to 10 minutes total, adding more oil if the pan looks dry. Transfer pieces to a bowl as they finish. Add the sausages to the pot and cook until browned, 4 to 6 minutes total. Transfer to the bowl.
Reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil, if needed, and the onion and garlic. Season with salt and pepper, and cook until softened, 2 to 4 minutes. Add the red wine, stir, scrape up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan and cook until the wine is nearly evaporated, 2 to 4 minutes.
Add the tomatoes and basil, then fill one of the 28-ounce cans with water. (You'll use it in a second.) Return the pork shoulder and sausages to the pot, along with any accumulated juices in the bowl. Nudge them around so they are submerged. Add the meatballs on top, then add enough water from the can to cover the meat. (There's no need to stir.) Partly cover the pot, bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to a gentle simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the pork shoulder falls apart when shredded with a fork, 2 to 2½ hours.
When you're ready to eat, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook according to package instructions until al dente. While the pasta cooks, slice the sausage and shred the pork shoulder. Transfer to a platter along with the meatballs and a few spoonfuls of sauce. Reserve ½ cup pasta water, then drain and add the pasta to the pot of sauce. Over medium heat, toss the pasta with the sauce, adding pasta water as needed until the sauce clings to the pasta.
Divide pasta between bowls, then top with a bit of each meat. Pass the Parmesan and platter of meat at the table.