Sunday Gravy isn’t gravy in any English sense — it’s the Italian-American Sunday sauce that took the immigrant kitchens of Brooklyn, the Bronx and South Philly and turned tomato into an all-day, whole-family event. Bone-in beef short ribs, beef sausage, meatballs and rolled braciole get braised together for the better part of an afternoon until the tomato tastes of every meat in the pot. This is that recipe, in the pork-free all-beef version — the way it’s still ladled out at Sunday tables from Bensonhurst to Boston’s North End when the family skips pork.
Sunday Gravy (also called Sunday Sauce) is an Italian-American slow-simmered tomato sauce built around whole pieces of meat — traditionally pork, here made entirely with beef: bone-in short ribs, beef sausage, meatballs, and beef braciole — braised together for 3–4 hours at 200°F / 93°C. The meats flavour the sauce; the sauce dresses the pasta as a first course; the meats are served on their own platter as the main. “Gravy” and “Sauce” are the same dish — the label depends on which side of your family emigrated where.
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Sunday Gravy vs Sunday Sauce vs Bolognese
Sunday Gravy and Sunday Sauce are the same dish — different regional nickname. Italian-American families in New Jersey, New York, and Philadelphia tend to say “gravy”; families in Boston, Chicago, and the Midwest tend to say “sauce.” It’s the same pot of tomato, whole meats, and slow heat. Neither name has anything to do with the roux-based brown gravy Americans put on turkey.
The confusion with bolognese ragù is worth clearing up: bolognese is a northern Italian sauce built on ground meat with milk and minimal tomato, cooked for two to three hours. Sunday Gravy is Italian-American, uses whole cuts that the sauce braises tender, and leans heavily on tomato — the immigrant kitchens had access to affordable canned San Marzano tomato and cheaper Sunday cuts in a way rural Emilia-Romagna never did.
If a “Sunday Gravy” recipe calls for ground beef and no whole meats, it’s really a marinara with mince. The whole cuts — bone-in short ribs, sausage links, braciole — are the point.
Which beef cuts go in the pot
This all-beef Sunday Gravy uses four cuts, layered in over the day so each finishes tender at the same time. Skip one if you must, but the flavour depth is built from the combination — each cut leaves something behind in the sauce.
🐄 Bone-in short ribs
The single most important cut. English-cut short ribs render fat, gelatine and glutamates into the sauce over 3 hours — they replace pork ribs one-for-one and arguably give more body.
🌶️ Beef sausage (fennel-style)
All-beef Italian-style sausage links kept whole. Italian delis and halal butchers carry sweet or hot beef versions seasoned with fennel and garlic. Their spiced fat perfumes the pot.
🍖 Meatballs (polpette)
Walnut-sized beef meatballs added in the last 45 minutes. See our full Italian beef meatballs recipe.
🥩 Beef braciole
Thin top-round beef rolled around breadcrumbs, garlic, parsley and cheese, tied with twine. The Sunday showpiece.
Full ingredient list
The meats
- 1 kg bone-in beef short ribs (English-cut)
- 500 g all-beef Italian-style sausage links
- 12 beef meatballs (~30 g each)
- 4 braciole (top round, ~120 g each, tied)
The sauce base
- 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, finely diced
- 6 garlic cloves, sliced thin
- 2 tbsp double tomato concentrate
- 180 ml dry red wine
- 2.5 kg whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes
- 250 ml water (from the tomato cans)
Aromatics & finish
- 1 tsp fine sea salt, plus more to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 pinch dried red chilli flakes (optional)
- 8–10 fresh basil leaves
- 1 kg pasta of choice, to serve
- Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino Romano
Method: an all-afternoon braise
Use the biggest heavy pot you have — 8 to 10 litres. Depth matters here because the meats need room to braise while staying half-submerged. Cast-iron or enamelled Dutch oven is ideal.
- Sear the short ribs.Season the ribs with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tbsp oil over medium-high in the big pot. Brown the ribs deeply on all sides, 10 minutes total — beef needs more colour than pork to build the same fond. Transfer to a plate.
- Brown the sausages.Add another tbsp oil. Brown the whole beef sausage links, 5 minutes, turning to colour all sides. Set aside with the ribs.
- Brown the braciole.Same pan, add the remaining oil. Sear the tied braciole 2 minutes per side to set the exterior. Reserve.
- Build the sauce base.Reduce heat to medium-low. Add onion to the flavourful fond in the pot. Cook 6 minutes until soft. Add sliced garlic; 60 seconds. Stir in tomato concentrate and toast it 2 minutes until brick-red.
- Deglaze with wine.Pour in the red wine, scrape everything off the base. Reduce 3 minutes until the alcohol smell is gone.
- Add the tomatoes.Crush the whole tomatoes by hand into the pot. Pour in the reserved tomato-can water. Add 1 tsp salt, black pepper, chilli flakes if using. Bring to a bare simmer.
- The long braise begins.Slide the short ribs and braciole back in — they should be about two-thirds submerged. Cover with the lid ajar. Cook 2 hours at 200°F / 93°C on the lowest heat, nudging the pot every 20 minutes.
- Add the sausages.Slip the browned beef sausage links into the sauce. Continue simmering another 45 minutes with the lid ajar.
- Add the meatballs last.Add the raw or lightly-seared meatballs. Simmer a final 45 minutes — total braise ~3.5 hours. Meatballs added early break apart; added last, they hold shape.
- Finish and rest.Kill the heat. Skim excess fat from the surface — short ribs throw more fat than pork, so this step matters more here. Tear in fresh basil. Taste for salt. Let the pot rest 20 minutes uncovered before serving.
How to serve it (two courses)
The Italian-American Sunday goes like this: cook 1 kg of pasta — traditionally rigatoni, ziti, or thick spaghetti — until al dente. Toss with several ladles of the meat-infused sauce (no meats yet). Bring to the table as the primo, with grated Parmigiano or Pecorino on the side.
Then bring out the meats on a big serving board: short ribs pulled from the bone, sausage, braciole (twine snipped), meatballs. Serve with warm crusty bread for the scarpetta, a simple green salad, and red wine — a Chianti, Nero d’Avola or Primitivo works beautifully. The leftover gravy is Monday’s lasagna filling.
Mistakes that flatten Sunday Gravy
Storage, freezing and reheating
Frequently asked questions
Can I make Sunday Gravy without pork?
Yes — this recipe is the pork-free version. Bone-in beef short ribs replace pork ribs, and all-beef Italian-style sausage (available at Italian delis and halal butchers) replaces pork sausage. The braise time and technique are identical. If beef sausage is unavailable, use extra meatballs seasoned with fennel seed to keep the traditional aromatic profile.
Is Sunday Gravy the same as Sunday Sauce?
Yes. Italian-American families in New York, New Jersey and Philadelphia tend to say “gravy”; Boston, Chicago and Midwest families lean toward “sauce.” Both describe a slow-simmered tomato sauce with whole meats.
How long does Sunday Gravy need to cook?
Plan on 3.5 to 4 hours of low, covered simmering. Short ribs and braciole need at least 3 hours for their collagen to melt into gelatine — beef needs slightly longer than pork to reach the same tenderness. Anything under 2 hours and the meats are still tight and the sauce tastes flat.
Can I make Sunday Gravy in a slow cooker or Instant Pot?
Yes. In a slow cooker, brown the meats first on the stove, then transfer everything and cook on LOW for 8 hours. In an Instant Pot, use the “Meat/Stew” setting for 50 minutes at high pressure (beef short ribs need 5 minutes more than pork would), then release naturally.
What kind of pasta goes with Sunday Gravy?
Sturdy tubular shapes work best: rigatoni, ziti, penne rigate, or paccheri. Thick spaghetti or bucatini is traditional. Their ridges and hollows trap the meat-heavy sauce the way smooth thin spaghetti never can.
Can I make Sunday Gravy without wine?
Yes. Replace the 180 ml of red wine with the same amount of beef broth plus 1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar, added at the same deglazing step. You lose a little complexity but the sauce still tastes properly Italian-American.
How much Sunday Gravy per person?
Plan on 250 ml of sauce and roughly 250 g of assorted meats per adult when serving in two courses. A full recipe (3 L of sauce, ~2 kg of meat) feeds 8–10 comfortably — with leftovers earmarked for Monday’s lasagna.
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Italian Sunday Gravy: The Real Italian-American Sauce
Italian-American slow-simmered tomato sauce with whole meats
- 800g g bone-in country-style pork ribs
- 500g g sweet or hot Italian sausage links
- 12 beef meatballs
- 4 beef braciole
- 4 tbsp tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion finely diced
- 6 garlic cloves sliced thin
- 2 tbsp tbsp double tomato concentrate
- 180ml ml dry red wine
- 2.5kg kg whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes crushed by hand
- 250ml ml water from the tomato cans
- 1 tsp tsp fine sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1 pinch pinch dried red chilli flakes optional
- 8-10 fresh basil leaves
- 1 kg kg pasta of choice
- Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino Romano
Method
Sear the pork ribs
Brown the sausages
Brown the braciole
Build the sauce base
Deglaze with wine
Add the tomatoes
The long braise begins
Add the sausages
Add the meatballs last
Finish and rest
- large heavy pot
- cast-iron or enamelled Dutch oven
Traditional Italian-American Sunday Gravy recipe with four meats and a rich tomato sauce
Did You Try Our Recipe ?
Scrumptious
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Response from MeatRecipesBox
Oh wow, I’m so happy to hear that!! 😍 I love that you made it work with what you had on hand — Worcestershire and white wine sound like a delicious twist. So glad your husband enjoyed it, especially being picky! Thank you for sharing your version, it makes me smile knowing it turned out scrumptious!
This was amazing
This recipe turned out really amazing! It’s juicy and spiced deliciously. I definitely would use less of the spicy pepper next time, but it really was delicious and I don’t think I’ll make chicken legs any other way from now on.!
Response from MeatRecipesBox
Thank you for taking the time to leave such a thoughtful review. I’m really glad to hear the recipe turned out juicy and full of flavor for you. That’s exactly what I was hoping for when putting it together. Good call on the spicy pepper as well. Adjusting the heat level to your own taste is always the best approach, and using a little less next time should make it just right for you. I really appreciate you trying the recipe and sharing your experience. It’s great to know it worked so well for you.
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