The Sunday Sauce (9 Recipes!)
The Sunday Sauce is a rich, thick, slow-cooked tomato sauce also known as “Ragu,” and Italian Americans love to make it on Sundays for family dinner. Here are our family’s nine delicious recipes for the Sunday Sauce, and each one lends itself to being rich, savory, and full of flavor. Serve with your favorite pasta and some crusty bread for dipping, and you’ll have a fabulous dinner.
The Sunday Sauce…
Sunday Sauce is an Italian tradition. It is usually a tomato-based sauce simmered with meat such as pork, sausages, and even beef. And, some recipes are vegetarian! It can also be a non-tomato-based sauce, such as pasta with Genovese sauce, and our wild mushroom ragu.
Today, we have included in our recipe card (at the bottom of this page) our “basic ragu recipe,” which is made with only 6 ingredients, and can also be simmered with seared meats and meatballs!
Why is it called The Sunday Sauce?
This kind of Italian tomato-based sauce is always made on Sundays, and typically because it is simmered for at least an hour or longer. And, it is usually served with your favorite pasta. But not all Sunday sauces take hours to develop flavor.
Plus, the Sunday sauce was a traditional meal and an inexpensive way for Italian-American families to feed a large gathering.
There are other popular recipes for tomato sauces: some made with ground pork, veal, or beef, like our Mom’s Classic Bolognese Sauce. Some of them will contain seared meats that are slowly cooked to give the ragu rich flavors, like our Best Pork Ragu Recipe and our Braciole -Sicilian Style, just to name a few.
This method of cooking the sauce and allowing the meats to slowly cook in the sauce gives it a rich and flavorful taste. (it’s the best!)
Reasons why Italians made The Sunday Sauce on Sundays…
- Traditionally, Sunday was the one day of the week when extended families could get together and enjoy a meal.
- It was also for family members who traveled afar to spend one day with grandparents, uncles, aunts, and cousins.
- Plus, Sunday was a day to relax and enjoy time together as a family while sharing a meal.
- Sunday, traditionally, was also the day they preferred to make dinner “earlier” than usual, simply because they did not want anyone to get home late at night, knowing they had to go to work or school the next morning.
Here are 9 Recipes for The Sunday Sauce!
We are delighted to share with you our family’s nine delicious recipes for Sunday Sauces we love to make again and again. All of them are truly worth making. They are authentic recipes that were passed down to us from our grandmothers and mothers.
Choose one every week, and try them all! They are worth it, and your family will go bananas over each one.
1. Mom’s Classic Bolognese Sauce ~ is a rich tomato sauce traditionally made with lean ground beef, along with vegetables, wine, and imported Italian tomatoes. It is so versatile, you can use it to make an easy meat lasagna, or just serve it over your favorite pasta, gnocchi, and cheese ravioli.
2. Rigatoni all’ Amatriciana ~ is a simple tomato sauce, served over rigatoni pasta. Its origin is from Rome, Italy, and it is flavored with smoky Italian bacon known as pancetta, along with a few additional ingredients.
3. Vegetable Bolognese with Pappardelle ~ is a “meatless” tomato sauce that offers the same thickness and meat-like texture, only it is loaded with chopped vegetables, and it is delicious! A perfect sauce for vegetarians!
4. Spaghetti with Oven-Roasted Tomato Sauce ~ is a “meatless” tomato sauce that is slowly cooked in the oven, not on the stovetop. It is made with only 5 ingredients. Plus, this sauce is made with fresh ripe tomatoes, not canned tomatoes. And it is divine!
5. Braciole -Sicilian Style ~ Ohhhh- this recipe is one of the BEST! These are meat rollatini called Braciole, and they’re simmered in a tomato sauce until the meat is perfectly tender, creating incredible flavor.
6. Best Pork Ragu Recipe ~ is a rich, thick pork sauce made with imported tomatoes, lots of onions, and no garlic, and it is slowly simmered with Italian sweet sausage links and sliced pork tenderloin. This is an Exquisite Meal!
7. Pasta with Genovese Sauce ~ is a rich and savory onion and beef ragu served with pasta. This ragu is slowly cooked with onions and meat until the onions melt and caramelize, bringing out its natural sweetness. It is mouthwatering!
8. Sausage Ragu ~ is a thick, meaty ragu made with crumbled Italian sausages, San Marzano tomatoes, onions, garlic, olive oil, and fresh basil. Served with pappardelle semolina pasta, this dish is fabulous!
9. Authentic Italian Tomato Sauce (Family Recipe) “Meatless” ~ is a family recipe made with San Marzano tomatoes, extra virgin olive oil, onions, garlic, fresh basil, and salt. No fuss and super easy recipe, this Italian tomato sauce is guaranteed to be a favorite simply because it’s rich and loaded with flavor! And a superb one to serve over spaghetti.
FAQ’s
1. What kind of meat can we use to cook in the sauce? You can cook and sear several types of meat and add them to your tomato sauce while it’s simmering. These will create the best-tasting flavors while thickening the sauce. Here are the most popular options:
- pork sausages
- pork tenderloin
- strips of sirloin steak or filet mignon
- short ribs
- and of course, our Mom’s Sunday Meatballs.
2. What is the difference between Marinara Sauce and Sunday Sauce? There is no meat in our mom’s quick marinara sauce. Plus, marinara sauce is not simmered as long as the other Sunday sauces or ragu. It will not have the rich, thick consistency of the Sunday sauces.
3. How long can we store leftover sauce? Typically, it is 3 days. Always allow the tomato sauce to cool down completely before storing it in a sealed container and placing it in your refrigerator.
4. Can we use a slow-cooker or Instant Pot? Yes, you can. Be sure to follow the first few steps of the recipe, then cover and follow the directions on your appliance.
5. Can we make the Sunday Sauce using our Dutch oven? Absolutely!
6. How to reheat the sauce? To reheat the sauce, you can transfer the amount you need to a small pot and heat it on low heat until it is thoroughly reheated.
7. Can we freeze the Sunday Sauce? Yes, you can. But you need to wait until the sauce is completely cool before transferring it to a sealed container and freezing. It will freeze well, and for up to 2 months.
Additional Recipes for Ragu & Sauces You’ll Love:
- Tagliatelle with Tomato Sausage Ragu
- Wild Mushroom Ragu Recipe (meatless)
- Zucchini Tomato Sauce over Fusilli Pasta
- Mom’s Quick Marinara Sauce
- Spinach Ravioli with Asparagus Sauce
A Delicious Sunday Family Meal
The Sunday Sauce is truly worth the time to make. Serve any one of our Sunday sauces with your favorite pasta and a fine bottle of wine, and some crusty bread for dipping – and you’ll have an exquisite dinner.
ENJOY!
In case you missed it…
Most Popular Recipes of the Week:
Your comments help us! If you try any one of our Sunday Sauces, let us know and leave a comment at the bottom of this page, and don’t forget to give us a 5-star rating (which is located inside the recipe card). We’d love to hear from you. And, thank you!
Happy Cooking! 🙂
…and thanks for stopping by
xo anna and liz
The Sunday Sauce
The Sunday Sauce is a rich, thick, slow-cooked tomato sauce also known as "ragu" and Italians love to make it on Sunday for family dinner. This sauce can be used to slowly simmer with meats and meatballs.
Ingredients
- 1 + 1/2 of large Vidalia onion - finely minced
- 3/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
- 4 large basil leaves
- 4 to 5 cans (28-ounces) Italian peeled tomatoes, blended in a blender
- 1/2 Tbsp. salt
Instructions
- In a large heavy-bottomed pot, add the olive oil, onions, red pepper flakes, and basil, and simmer on medium-low heat for about 10 minutes.
- Then add only one can of tomatoes (blended) to the onions to prevent the onions from burning while cooking. (This is a trick my husband learned from his mom). Occasionally stirring. Continue to simmer the onions on low heat for another 15 minutes.
- Then add in the rest of the tomatoes and salt. Cover and raise the heat to bring to the sauce a boil. Lower the heat again, and continue to simmer the sauce on low heat.
- Add the seared meats to the sauce. Simmer for an additional hour, occasionally stirring the sauce. The total cooking time should be about 1 and 1/2 hours. Taste the sauce. Season with additional salt to taste. Turn off the heat. Allow the sauce to cool down slightly.
- Yields: 3 quarts
Notes
To Store: Allow the sauce to cool completely before transferring it to a sealed container and chill it in your refrigerator. It stays fresh for up to 4 days.
To Freeze: the sauce must be cooled before freezing. You can freeze Sunday sauce (including the meats submerged), and for up to two months.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 servings Serving Size: 1 cupAmount Per Serving: Calories: 116Total Fat: 12.6gCarbohydrates: 1.8gFiber: .4gSugar: .8gProtein: .2g
Related Posts:
Welcome! From Anna and Liz
We believe the kitchen is the center and the heart of the home. It is where we cook, eat, and unwind with family and friends, creating memorable traditions! Read more…
FREE EMAIL BONUS
Weeknight Dinners Made Easy
Tips & recipes for delicious meals . . . no matter your skill level!
FREE EMAIL BONUS
Weeknight Dinners Made Easy
Tips & recipes for delicious meals . . . no matter your skill level!
Loved your mom’s bolognese sauce -it’s a winner!
Thank you Emily! So glad you enjoyed our mom’s recipe. Have a great weekend. 😉
Simpler times when families got together for a Sunday meal. Luckily I married into an Italian family that got together like that. Now, with just the two of us, we make a large pot of usually sausage ragu and freeze it into one meal portions. Each Sunday, we defrost one and have it with rigatoni pasta topped with ricotta. Nice post and great recipes.
Aw, thanks Karen! In Italy, our relatives still get together for a Sunday meal and it’s so nice to see that. It’s nice to hear some traditions still go on. Thanks so much again. Have a great week. 🙂
Great recipes 👌 We loved your bolognese sauce and look forward to making the others too. Thanks again.
Thank you so much! Hope you’ll try them all! Have a great weekend. 🙂
I’d love to try them all!
Oh we hope you do! They are all traditional sauces, but amazingly easy to make! ENJOY!!