Sunday Gravy is a rich, decadent Italian family tradition—a ragu enhanced with meatballs, sausage, and tender ribs. In this version, we swap pork ribs for chuck short ribs, slow-roasted until meltingly tender. Tossed with Sfoglini Reginetti, alongside classic meatballs and Italian sausage, this hearty meal is perfect for a cozy Sunday dinner. Save room in the fridge, because this recipe makes abundant leftovers!
MAKES FOUR - SIX SERVINGS
For the sauce
For the meatballs
To serve
Heat oven to 300°F.
Pat the short ribs dry and season generously with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large dutch oven over medium high heat. When it just begins to smoke add the short ribs to the pan and brown them for 2-3 minutes on each side. Work in batches if necessary. Once complete, set the short ribs aside on a plate and adjust the heat to medium low.
Add the onions to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until they have softened and are translucent, approximately 10 minutes. Add the garlic, basil, and oregano and cook 1 minute more, then increase the heat to medium high and deglaze the pan with the red wine. Scrape as much of the fond off the bottom of the pan as possible. Add 2 cans of the peeled tomatoes or passata to the pot. If using whole peeled tomatoes, crush and break them up using your hands or an immersion blender. Add the red pepper flakes, if using, and nestle the short ribs into the tomatoes; cover the pot, leaving a gap on one side, and place in the oven. Roast for 4 hours.
Meanwhile, combine all the ingredients for the meatballs, except the oil, in a large bowl. Using wet hands, gently mix the ingredients until they’re thoroughly blended. Wet your hands again and form the beef mixture into meatballs, a little over one inch in diameter. Set them on a parchment paper-lined tray and transfer to the refrigerator for an hour.
Heat oil in a large sauté pan over medium high heat. When it just begins to smoke, add the meatballs and brown on the top and bottom, approximately 3 minutes per side, adjusting the heat as necessary if they get too dark. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and brown the sausages in the same pan. Set them aside while the short ribs finish cooking.
Once the timer for the ribs goes off, remove the pot from the oven, take out the ribs, and transfer them to a plate. Place the pot over medium heat and add the sausages and meatballs. If the sauce doesn’t nearly cover the meat, add some more tomatoes or passata, breaking up the whole tomatoes with your hands. Bring to a simmer and cook for 20-30 minutes, until the meat is all cooked through. Remove from the sauce, slice the sausages, and arrange them with the meatballs on a warmed serving platter. Cover and keep in a warm oven until ready to serve.
While the meat is simmering, remove the bones and tough membrane from the short ribs and use a fork to shred the meat. Mix the shredded meat back into the sauce and keep the pot over very low heat until ready to serve.
Bring a pot of generously salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta to al dente, according to package instructions. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water before straining. Add the pasta back to the pot and add two cups of sauce to the pan. Toss with the pasta, adding splashes of pasta water as necessary. Transfer to a serving bowl. If necessary, stir some of the reserved pasta water into the remaining short rib sauce as well, then transfer to another serving bowl.
Serve the pasta alongside the sauce and meat, with plenty of Parmesan cheese and minced parsley alongside
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Chef’s Note: The decision to use whole tomatoes or passata is based on personal preference. The whole tomatoes, unless blended before cooking, will have a more substantial, chunky texture. Whether blended or crushed by hand, they generally have a slightly fresher flavor than passata.
This recipe makes a large quantity of sauce and meatballs. The extra can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months. If using frozen leftover sauce, thaw overnight in the fridge and then reheat gently over low heat.
Pasta Swaps: This recipe would also work well with Sfoglini Cascatelli by Sporkful, Quattrotini, or Whole Grain Radiators.
