Sundays were meant to be slow. As in slow cooked just like this Italian gravy. A 5qt. Dutch oven is the perfect vessel to cook up a big pot of tomato sauce (I mean —gravy— as Tony Soprano would say).
To me, the difference between Italian red sauce and gravy comes down to meat. Despite what you read, there isn’t a specific definition. It just boils down to what you grew up calling it at your house, in your part of the country, world. You get it.
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My grandmas, Josie and Nina, were masters of making-do with what they had without wasting ingredients. If there was a leftover cooked pork chop in the fridge, it went in the Sunday sauce bringing another layer of meaty umami.
And that’s exactly what I’m doing here except said pork chop isn’t leftover. The red gravy is built around the pork chop and spends some time in the oven.
My house smells so good when I make this one or any of my homemade pasta sauce recipes. Yours will too.
If you love a super meaty flavor, poach tender beef and pork meatballs like my grandma did to slow cook in the sauce.
What baking does to Italian gravy
Baking red sauce in a pot creates a whole different flavor profile than simmering it on the stove. An oven produces a dry heat that envelops the pot and caramelizes the sauce inside. Using Dutch ovens with dimples in the lid (like my Lodge or Staub dutch ovens do) helps feeds a bit of moisture back into the sauce.
I also suggest adding some water throughout the sauce baking process, since every oven’s got a mind of its own. Plus, it makes that rich red gravy easier to toss with a no-fuss fresh pasta that holds up to hearty sauces—once in a while, a sauce this good deserves more than what comes out of a box.
Best of all? You won’t have to clean a tomato-sauce-spattered stove after dinner!
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Recipe essentials
Equipment. To make this sauce, I use a 5 1/2 quart Dutch oven from Lodge. It’s my workhorse pot and the price can’t be beat.
A lot of tomato paste. I use a whole can which contributes to the rich, caramel flavor of this sauce.
White wine. It might be a surprising add but white wine adds a delicate acidity that sweetens as the gravy bakes in the oven.
Garlic cooked two ways. Minced garlic is first added as the onion is sauteed and then peeled, whole cloves are added at the end to bring a mellow garlic flavor while the sauce bakes.
Step by step to oven-baked Italian gravy
Safety tip
Use a slotted spoon to remove any pork bones and whole garlic cloves before serving.
Recipe do’s
Make this sauce a few days before you plan to serve because Italian red sauce gets better as it sits a bit.
Often I will buy the huge can of whole tomatoes from Costco to use in this sauce. That large can is equivalent to 3- 28 oz cans. You can either adjust the recipe accordingly by 1.5 or freeze the remaining tomatoes for another time.
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Oven Baked Italian Sunday Gravy
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Equipment
Ingredients
To cook and season the pork
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 2 bone in pork chops, 1 works too
- garlic powder
- onion powder
- oregano
- salt and pepper
For the sauce
- 1 cup diced onion
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ cup white wine
- 6 oz tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 56 oz 2 cans whole San Marzano tomatoes, pureed
- 4 whole cloves of garlic, peeled
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- healthy bunch of basil, about 6-8 leaves
- 2 cups water, divided
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°.
- Season the pork chop on both sides with the seasonings.
- In a 5 ½ qt. Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Lay the pork chop down to brown for about 2 minutes until browned. Flip to the other side and repeat. Remove the pork to a plate and set aside.
- Add the minced onion to the oil and saute for about 3 minutes until translucent. Once ready, stir in the cloves of minced garlic and saute until you can smell it
- Pour in the white wine and cook for about 2 minutes.
- Use a flat wooden spoon to caramelize the tomato paste in wine-flavored onions and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Stir this around for 2 minutes.
- Pour in pureed tomatoes and mix completely until the color of the sauce is uniform.
- Drop in the whole cloves of garlic along with the fresh basil sprig. Stir in sugar and add back in the browned pork chop.
- Place the Dutch oven into the preheated oven and cover. Cook for 1 hour.
- After one hour has lapsed, add 1 cup of water to the sauce. Stir completely. Lower the oven temperature to 300° and cook for another hour, covered.
Notes
