Sunday Sauce

The secret to a perfect Sunday Sauce is to cook it low and slow for several hours. No rush and little fuss. It’s worth every minute.

The Story Behind This Family Recipe

I learned to make the perfect Sunday Sauce from my husband’s Aunts. His father came from a large Italian family with seven kids. Each of the Aunts had their own specialty Sunday Sauce or Sugo or Ragu as they called it.

My favorite memory of the Aunts is three of them cooking our rehearsal dinner the night before our wedding. Each one proclaimed to have the best Sunday sauce recipe and since no one would dare argue that fact, all three made their own sauce and we had three different, but all amazingly delicious Sunday sauces for the gathering.

It was that night that I learned the real secret behind any Sunday sauce is to cook it low and slow and make it your own by adding special touches and ingredients. Red pepper flakes are one of my additions because we like a little heat in our tomato sauce. 

Sauce Ingredients

• San Marzano whole peeled tomatoes
• Tomato sauce
• Tomato paste
• Red wine  – I use Pinot Noir
• Beef broth
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Onion
• Garlic
• Fresh Basil
• Italian spice seasoning
• Sugar
• Red pepper flakes
• Salt and pepper

Let’s Make Sunday Sauce

1. Start by adding olive oil, onions, and garlic to a Dutch oven or heavy pot.
2. Add tomato paste.
3. Add the San Marzano tomatoes 1 can at a time. After you add the first can, use a potato masher to gently crush the tomatoes. Repeat crushing after you add the second can.
4. Add the tomato sauce, beef broth, and wine.
5. Add the Italian seasoning, sugar, red pepper flakes, and fresh basil.
6. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 3 hours.

How To Freeze Pasta Sauce

This recipe makes 6 quarts of sauce and if you are serving 2-4 people, you will have sauce leftover. But no worries…you can easily freeze any type of pasta sauce for up to 6 months. 

1. Let the sauce cool completely.
2. Using a ladle, transfer the sauce to a quart-sized freezer zip-top bag. 
3. Fill the bag 1/2 full.
4. Press to remove as much air as possible and close the bag. 
5. Lay the bag flat in the freezer. 
6. When the sauce is frozen, you can set the bag on its side or lay it flat to save freezer space. 

Krazy Kitchen Mom Tips

• Use San Marzano whole peeled tomatoes for this sauce. To crush them, add them to the pot and then carefully smash them using a potato masher. This will release the juices and make a smooth sauce. To avoid splatter when crushing the tomatoes, make sure the masher is submerged into the tomato liquid before you press down. 
• Any time you are using canned or fresh tomatoes or tomato sauce add a little sugar. The sugar reduces the strong acid flavor of the tomatoes and also brings out more of the natural sweetness. 
• If you are freezing this sauce, be sure to write the name and the date on the package. For example, Sunday Sauce/Feb 2020. You can even write thawing and reheating directions on the zip-top bags if you’d like. You can use this sauce for any type of Italian dish that calls for pasta sauce like my Baked Cannelloni Recipe. 

More Great Family Recipes

• Cajun Red Beans and Rice
• Fall Harvest Salad
• Slow Cooker Cashew Chicken
• Easy Weeknight Pepper Steak

Sunday Sauce

The secret to a perfect Sunday Sauce is to cook it low and slow for several hours. No rush and little fuss. It's worth every minute you wait.

5 from 6 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Pasta, Sauces

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: homemade sunday sauce, Italian sauce, tomato sauce

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 3 hours hours

Total Time: 3 hours hours 15 minutes minutes

Servings: 6 Quarts of Sauce

Author: Laura Franco

Ingredients 

1x2x3x

• 2 35- ounce cans San Marzano whole peeled tomatoes
• 1 15- ounce can tomato sauce
• 1 TBS tomato paste
• 1/4 cup good red wine I use Pinot Noir
• 1/4 cup beef broth
• 1 TBS extra virgin olive oil
• 1 onion – diced
• 1 garlic clove – grated
• 4-6 sprigs fresh basil
• 1-1/2 TBS Italian spice seasoning
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• Grated parmesan cheese for serving
• Fresh basil for garnish

Instructions

• Heat olive oil at medium heat in a 6 or 8-ounce Dutch oven or soup pan.
• Add onions and cook for 2-3 minutes
• Add garlic and cook for another 2 minutes.
• Stir in tomato paste.
• Add the San Marzano tomatoes 1 can at a time. After you add the first can, use a potato masher to gently crush the tomatoes. Repeat crushing after you add the second can.
• Add the tomato sauce, beef broth, and wine.
• Add the Italian seasoning, sugar, red pepper flakes, and fresh basil
• Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 3 hours.

Notes

Krazy Kitchen Mom Tips 

• Use San Marzano whole peeled tomatoes for this sauce. To crush them, add them to the pot and then carefully smash them using a potato masher. This will release the juices and make a smooth sauce. To avoid splatter when crushing the tomatoes, make sure the masher is submerged into the tomato liquid before you press down. 
• Any time you are using canned or fresh tomatoes or tomato sauce add a little sugar. The sugar reduces the strong acid flavor of the tomatoes and also brings out more of the natural sweetness. 
• If you are freezing this sauce, be sure to write the name and the date on the package. For example, Sunday Sauce/Feb 2020. You can even write thawing and reheating directions on the zip-top bags if you’d like. You can use this sauce for any type of Italian dish that calls for pasta sauce like my Baked Cannelloni Recipe.