When I originally started this blog back in 2017, this Old School Italian Gravy was my first post. I chose this recipe, because I wanted something authentic, that really represented both myself and the purpose of this blog. Saporito Kitchen was designed for my readers to get the chance to peek into my kitchen and see how I became so passionate about food. The main focus of this blog is to help others to both cook inspired and eat tasty. Most of my recipes, like this Italian Gravy, are influenced by my love for Italian cuisine. At the heart of Italian cooking is a combination of simple flavors, time tested techniques and most importantly heart and soul. This is precisely why I love it and chose this as the theme for my blog!
How to Build a Flavorful Sauce
When originally doing research for this post, I remembered something one of my instructors said during culinary school. “A well-built sauce is essential to any dish. It can make or break the experience”. If a sauce is too salty or the flavors are off, it can ruin a dish. On the flip side, a perfectly crafted sauce can be the key to a truly memorable meal. There are a couple of essential components to building a good sauce. First, you must build the flavors from the very beginning. Building the flavors, ingredient by ingredient, will help to develop an amazing end result and of course a tasty dish. Secondly, you must use solid ingredients to build your sauce. This does not mean they need to be the most expensive, but selecting the right type of ingredients is key. If you use quality ingredients, it aids you in developing those flavors.
I recommend using San Marzano tomatoes when you make this Old School Italian Gravy. San Marzano Tomatoes are lower in acidity and have a sweeter flavor to them that lends itself to building the flavor in this sauce. Most local grocery stores carry San Marzano tomatoes, so they are usually relatively easy to find. You can also find the beef bones I use for this recipe at your local grocery store. Our local grocery store usually keeps some at the meat counter, but you can also ask your butcher directly if they do not have them on display.
How to Make Old School Italian Gravy
I love making this sauce first thing in the morning and letting it simmer all day to reduce down and really intensify the flavor. Typically, I let my sauce simmer anywhere from 4-6 hours if I can, but a minimum of 1 hour should do the trick. If you are in a crunch time wise, you can reduce the liquid that you put into the sauce so it is a bit thicker. Trust me though, if you can let it simmer for the entire day, you won’t regret it!
Personally, I like to make this in a large quantity, like shown below, and then store it in smaller quantities in the freezer. That way, when I need sauce, I can quickly defrost it for a meal. It would also be great for canning! This recipe can be sized down if the thought of this much sauce is overwhelming. I have cut the quantities in half or even fourths to make a smaller batch and it turns out just as delicious. The sauce is functional for lots of different recipes, such as my Roasted Eggplant & Spinach Penne, The Perfect Classic Italian Lasagna, Cast Iron Pan Pizza or Braciole with Marinara.
Recipe Adjustments
- Beef Bones – Omit if you are vegetarian/vegan or if you cannot find them.
- Beef Broth – Use vegetable broth to make this sauce vegetarian/vegan.
- San Marzano Tomatoes – If you can’t locate these, regular canned tomatoes can be used.
- Wine – You can substitute this with extra broth if you don’t like to cook with wine or don’t have any on hand.
Old School Italian Gravy
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium beef bone
- 1/2 large yellow onion, chopped
- 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 Tablespoons dried basil
- 2 Tablespoons dried parsley
- 2 Tablespoons dried oregano
- 1 (6 oz can) tomato paste
- 1 1/2 cups dry red wine, approximately 1/2 of a bottle
- 2 quarts beef or vegetable broth
- 2 (28 oz cans) San Marzano whole peeled tomatoes
- 2 (28 oz cans) San Marzano crushed tomatoes
- 2 (28 oz cans) San Marzano tomato puree
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Heat a large stock pot over medium high heat and add in olive oil. Once the the olive oil begins to shimmer, add in the beef bone. Cook the beef bone, making sure to turn it every couple minutes, for about 5 minutes total, all sides are browned.
- Add in chopped onion and saute for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions become translucent and start to brown.
- Add in garlic, herbs and tomato paste and saute for an additional 1-2 minutes.
- Deglaze the pot by pouring in the red wine and scraping the bottom of the pot to remove any bits stuck to it.
- Add in beef broth as well as all of the tomatoes (whole, crushed and puree) and stir to thoroughly combine. Reduce heat to medium-low.
- Continue to simmer sauce for a minimum of 1 hour, but 4-6 hours is preferred. Make sure to stir the sauce every 30 minutes or so to make sure everything is combined and nothing burns.
- Once the sauce has been cooked down, remove the beef bone and season with salt and pepper, if needed. The sauce can then be used immediately or cooled completely to be frozen or canned. For a smoother texture, use an immersion blender to blend to the desired consistency.
Notes
- Beef Bones – Omit if you are vegetarian/vegan or if you cannot find them.
- Beef Broth – Use vegetable broth to make this recipe vegetarian/vegan.
- San Marzano Tomatoes – If you can’t locate these, regular canned tomatoes can be used.
- Wine – You can substitute this with extra broth if you don’t like to cook with wine or don’t have any on hand.
I hope you guys enjoy this recipe as much as you have the past 3 years. It’s one of my favorites and I hope it becomes yours.
Happy Cooking!
Post Updated: August 23, 2020
Originally Posted: August 23, 2017
10 comments
Sounds delicious! I am excited to make it and have extras in the freezer for a quick, delicious dinner on a busy night!!!
Let me know how it works for you!
My mouth is watering as I read this. We’ve recently instituted spaghetti night every Monday and I think this is going to be implemented immediately!
Excellent! You will have to let me know how it turned out!
Did you leave the beef bone in while simmering? Or throw it out after browning? Sounds good, I’ll definitely try this one out!!!
I left it in while simmering and then removed it at the end before blending the sauce. Thanks for asking! I should revise to mention that!
What brand/kind of red wine do you use
I would recommend a dry wine as opposed to sweet. It doesn’t have to be terribly expensive, but something that you would drink. Cabernet or Merlot would work great!
So delicious!
Thank you so much Elizabeth! I’m so glad you enjoy it 🙂