Italian Sunday Gravy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ingredients:

Meatballs:
2 pounds ground beef
2 eggs
¼ cup milk
2 garlic cloves, minced
1½ Tbsp Italian seasoning
1½ tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
⅔ cup Italian style breadcrumbs
Sunday Gravy:
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 pounds short ribs
2 pounds beef sausage (spicy or sweet)
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 carrots, grated
6 garlic cloves, chopped
1 cup red wine
3 (28oz) cans Whole San Marzano Tomatoes with their juices, crushed by hand
6oz tomato paste
3 cups water
1 cup fresh basil leaves, packed
1 sprig rosemary
2 bay leaves
1 Tbsp dried oregano
salt to taste
pepper to taste

Directions:

In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and parsley. Add breadcrumbs and ground beef, and mix by hand until well combined. Do not overmix. Form the mixture into 1½-2 inch same-sized meatballs. Cover them with cling wrap and keep in the refrigerator until ready to use.
In a large heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven, heat 2 Tbsp of olive oil over medium-high heat and brown short ribs on all sides. Remove to a plate, then brown beef sausage links. Remove to a plate, then brown meatballs. Refrigerate sausage and meatballs until they go in the gravy.
Add a dash of oil if needed and sauté onion and carrots for 3-4 minutes. Add garlic and sauté for a minute.
Add red wine and deglaze, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pot. Cook until the wine is reduced by half, about 3-4 minutes.
Add crushed whole tomatoes, tomato paste, water, basil leaves, rosemary, bay leaves, dried oregano, salt, and pepper. Mix well.
Add the short ribs to the gravy. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook for 2-2.5 hours. Stir occasionally, making sure nothing is sticking to the bottom of the pan.
Add the beef sausages to the gravy and cook for 1 hour, uncovered. If at any point the gravy becomes too thick, add a splash of water.
Add meatballs and cook uncovered for another hour, stirring occasionally and making sure most of the meats are cooking, submerged under the gravy. Maintain the heat throughout so the gravy is always on a gentle simmer.
Towards the end of cooking time, skim off the excess fat. Taste and adjust for salt and pepper.
Serve Sunday Gravy over your favorite pasta shape, along with parmesan, fresh basil, and crusty bread.
Prep Time: 30 minutes | Cooking Time: 4.5 hours | Total Time: 5 hours
Kcal: 620 kcal per serving | Servings: 8 servings