When I was growing up my mother would open a jar of Ragu when we had spaghetti. Even though I do like Ragu, there is just nothing like homemade! My husband is Italian, and I had never made sauce from scratch. He got me started now, and the house smells phenomenal while it's cooking!
This recipe was passed down to my husband from Great-Grandmom Mae Conforti. It’s been a family recipe for generations, way back in Italy.
Tomato is the star of this homemade red gravy (aka spaghetti sauce). It's a very traditional Italian recipe, slightly different than American versions, that's thick and filled with great flavor. The key to this sauce is letting it cook a long time for the flavors to mingle. The seasonings are simple and classic. This sauce is very versatile and can be used over pasta, in a lasagna, on pizza, or with a calzone. We added Italian sausage and that, along with the mushrooms, add heartiness and texture. If you want a little heat, use spicy sausage. This makes a huge pot of tomato sauce.
Ingredients
SAUCE BASE
2 cans tomato puree (28 oz each)
2 cans crushed tomatoes (28 oz each)
1 can tomato paste (6 oz)
1-2 cup sliced mushrooms (or use canned)
1 vidalia onion, chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped (sometimes i substitute roasted red peppers)
4-5 cloves garlic, minced (adjust to suit your taste)
SEASONINGS - ** SEE DIRECTIONS
2 tablespoons oregano
2 tablespoons basil
1 tablespoon parsley
1/8 cup Parmesan cheese
4 tablespoons sugar
red wine, (or marsala wine)
1 pound sweet Italian sausage, sliced & cooked (optional)
24 small meatballs, cooked (optional) frozen, or make your own
CAN OMIT MEATS FOR A VEGETARIAN SAUCE
How To Make conforti family red gravy (spaghetti sauce)
Step 1
This is a double batch. The single batch always gives me enough sauce for 2 dinners, so I double it and freeze the extra. Use a large stockpot. (I've used a 6 qt. Crock Pot and without the meat added it filled it right to the top!)
Frying the meat.
Step 2
If adding meat, fry the sausage or meatballs until nice and browned.
Deglazing pan with wine.
Step 3
De-glaze the pan with a little wine to get all those browned bits. If NOT adding the meat, just add a little wine to the sauce.
Tomatoes, onions, bell pepper, and garlic added.
Step 4
Add the tomatoes, onions, bell pepper, and garlic.
Mushrooms added to the sauce.
Step 5
Add the mushrooms into the pot with the seasonings being added as below.
Basil, oregano, and parsley added.
Step 6
** For the seasonings,
My husband's grandmother taught him to add the seasonings in this order as a boy. I thought it was cute.
First, you see the grass grow (this is the oregano, basil, parsley);
Parmesan cheese added to the sauce.
Step 7
Then the snow falls on the grass (Parmesan cheese);
Sugar added to the sauce.
Step 8
Then you see some frost on the snow (this is the sugar);
Mixing seasonings into the sauce.
Step 9
Then, of course, you mix it all in. 🙂
Simmering the sauce.
Step 10
Cook at a low heat for 8-10 hours. I replace the pot lid with a flat slotted pan (like a pizza pan) to allow moisture to escape.
Sauce after simmering and thickening.
Step 11
The sauce needs to cook down a bit and thicken.
Note: You can cook this recipe all day on LOW in a 6-quart or larger Crock Pot.
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