It’s more than dinner—it’s the slow, cozy smell that turns into a memory of home. This was the first recipe I learned when I decided to cook from scratch. I always
wanted to be the Italian grandma with a pot of Sunday Sauce on the stove, family drifting back home for tradition each week.
This sauce is the best place to start because the base is a simple onion–garlic–butter sauté—the ultimate home-cooked aroma that makes your family anticipate dinner—is also the starter technique for so many good things: soups, stews, and other sauces. In Italian kitchens this aromatic base is part of soffritto—gentle, flavorful cooking that builds big taste from humble ingredients. The clever meal
What Is “Sunday Sauce” (and Why It Matters)
Italian-American families call it “Sunday sauce” or “Sunday gravy”—a long-simmered tomato sauce tied to gathering after church and passing recipes down the generations. Your pot will become your version over time; the tradition is the point. Financial Times
The Beginner’s Pantry for Red Sauce
- Fat: butter (butter = cozy richness)
- Aromatics: yellow onion, fresh garlic
- Tomatoes: good jarred crushed tomatoes (if possible, Jovial, which are in a glass jar for health purposes
- Herbs: basil (fresh is a must)
- Seasoning: kosher salt, black pepper, pinch of red-pepper flakes (optional)
Simple Sunday Sauce (Base Recipe)
Yield: ~6 cups (about 1½ quarts) • Hands-on: 15 minutes • Simmer: 1½–3 hours
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp butter + 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, finely diced
- 4 cloves garlic, fresh minced
- 2 jars (28 oz each) crushed
- 3 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ½–1 tsp red-pepper flakes (optional)
- 1 small bunch fresh basil
Method
- Sauté (your first win). Warm butter in a heavy pot over medium heat. Add onion with a pinch of salt and pepper; cook until soft and sweet (8–10 min). Stir in garlic for 30–60 seconds until fragrant. This gentle sauté is your flavor base (soffritto). The clever meal
Add tomatoes. Add the crushed tomatoes directly into the pot (watch splatters) and top with fresh picked basil, 2 more teaspoons of salt. - Simmer low & slow. Bring to a lively simmer, then reduce to low and cook uncovered 90 minutes to 3 hours, stirring occasionally. Long, gentle simmering concentrates flavor and melds everything into a silky sauce. Serious Eats
- Finish. Taste. Need more salt? A twist of pepper? IFinish with a swirl in a tablespoon of butter to round it out. Serious Eats
How to Serve It Like a Pro (Beginner Edition)
- Salt the water like the sea and cook pasta until just shy of done.
- Finish pasta in the sauce with a splash of starchy pasta water—it helps the sauce cling and emulsify into a glossy coating. Toss hard over heat for 30–60 seconds, then finish with a pat of butter. Serious Eats+2Serious Eats+2
- Cheese off the heat. Add grated Parmigiano-Reggiano after you’ve killed the flame so it melts smoothly. Serious Eats
Make It Yours (Simple Variations)
- Meat-lover’s Sunday: Brown Italian sausage or meatballs in the pot first; set aside, build your sauce, then nestle meats back in to simmer. (That’s the “gravy” many families remember.) Financial Times
- Veg-packed: Add a small diced carrot and celery with the onion for a more classic soffritto; blitz half the finished sauce for extra silk. The clever meal
- Roasted garlic: Swap 1–2 heads of roasted garlic for a sweeter, mellow base.
Storage, Freezing & Next-Day Magic
- Fridge: Up to 4–5 days in a sealed jar.
- Freezer: Up to 3 months; freeze flat in bags for quick thawing.
- Next-day uses: Lasagna, baked ziti, chicken parm and meatball subs.
Why This Recipe Is the Best “Start Here”
Mastering this one pot teaches you almost everything: how to build flavor with a gentle sauté, season with confidence, simmer to concentrate, and finish pasta like a restaurant. Once you can make Sunday Sauce, you can riff into soups, stews, and a dozen other weeknight wins.
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