Old School Italian Gravy

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.

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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.

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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!

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Post Updated: August 23, 2020

Originally Posted: August 23, 2017