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    Home » Pasta

    Published: Sep 23, 2022 · Modified: Oct 7, 2022 by Donna Poirier · This post may contain affiliate links ·

    Hearty Marinara with Sausage

    Jump to Recipe
    A close up photo of a bowl of penne pasta with pieces of cut up Italian sausage. There is parmesan cheese grated over top.

    This Hearty Marinara with Sausage is the quintessential Sunday sauce or, as some Italians, particularly in certain parts of North America, like to call it, Sunday gravy.

    A close up photo of a bowl of penne pasta with pieces of cut up Italian sausage. There is parmesan cheese grated over top. this recipe
    Perfectly cooked, al dente, Penne Rigate pasta. A great alternative to Spaghetti.

    The wonderful meaty flavour of this pasta sauce will trick your taste buds into thinking that this sauce has simmered for hours. But the reality is that it cooks up within one hour. When the hearty aroma of the simmered sauce fills your home, you'll know that the sauce is ready to serve with your favourite pasta.

    For this recipe, I've used Italian sausage, but you can also make this sauce with the addition of homemade meatballs, beef short ribs or even chicken drumsticks (though your cooking times will vary based on your meat of choice). Whichever meat you choose, your sauce will have a beautiful round flavour and garner many compliments.

    If this Italian sausage marinara is not the ultimate comfort food you were seeking, or maybe you were looking for a vegetarian option, then perhaps you would enjoy my recipe for Spaghetti Napoli or fluffy pizza with homemade pizza sauce. And to end your meal, consider trying my easy Apple Blackberry Crumble 🙂

    Jump to:
    • Ingredients for Marinara with Italian Sausage
    • How to make Hearty Marinara with Sausage
    • Secret for Success
    • Tips for Great Pasta
    • Substitutions & Variations
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Food safety
    • Storage
    • Recipe Card
    • Comments

    Ingredients for Marinara with Italian Sausage

    • Good quality crushed tomatoes are key to this recipe. Brands I like include Mutti and Pastene.
    • Mild and hot Italian sausage is good in this hearty sauce, it's up to you.
    • I use dried basil here, but a sprig of fresh basil can be substituted.

    See the recipe card below for specific quantities and details.

    How to make Hearty Marinara with Sausage

    Sauté. To a heavy-bottomed 4 quart Dutch oven, add olive oil and, over medium-high heat, sauté sausage pieces until golden brown. This should take 5-8 minutes.

    Add onion and garlic. Once the sausage is golden brown and well caramelized, add in the diced onion and sauté until translucent, 3-5 minutes. Next, add garlic and sauté 30 seconds or until fragrant (be careful not to burn the garlic).

    Add remaining ingredients. Next, add crushed tomatoes, dried basil, kosher salt and the bay leaf.

    Simmer. Stir to combine and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low, simmer with the lid on, and cook for 30-45 minutes, stirring occasionally. When done, remove and discard the bay leaf, and your hearty marinara with sausage is ready to serve.

    Secret for Success

    • Be patient browning the sausage as the caramelization will add depth and give the sauce its hearty flavour, which is characteristic of a sauce that has simmered for longer than one hour.

    Tips for Great Pasta

    The Size of the Pot

    • Always cook your pasta in a big pot, preferably a 6 to 8-quart pot. If your pot is too small for the quantity of pasta you are cooking, you will unnecessarily lower the temperature of the water, and it will take longer for the water to come back up to the boiling point. Furthermore, insufficient water will result in too much starch surrounding the pasta as it boils, resulting in gummy pasta.

    Salting the Water

    • Salt the water. Not sure if you salted the water enough? Just taste it. If it tastes like the ocean, then you have salted it enough.

    Good Quality Pasta

    • Choose good quality pasta made strictly from semolina and water. Semolina is a coarse flour made from durum wheat and not common wheat. Your first cue that pasta is of superior quality will be its colour. As semolina is pale yellow, the pasta should also look pale yellow to white in the package. Exceptional quality pasta will also have texture and not be smooth. This texture is terrific because it allows the sauce to coat and adhere better to the pasta. Better quality pasta is dried at a low temperature for a long time, 30-36 hours. Brands I like that are readily available where I live, include Deleverde, Garofolo and De Cecco. If I haven't convinced you that good quality pasta is essential, then look at this video on How to Buy Pasta like an Italian.

    Not Over Cooking

    • Follow the package directions when cooking pasta but start testing it 3 minutes before the suggested cooking time on the package. It should be al dente, which means it is not mushy but offers some resistance when you bite into it. You can even see a bit of the uncooked pasta when you bite into a perfectly cooked al dente noodle. Try it and you'll see what I mean.

    Coating the Pasta with Sauce

    • When serving pasta, always add a ladle of sauce to your pot of cooked, drained pasta. Never serve plain white pasta with a spoonful of sauce straight over the top. This is a big no, no! Adding a ladle of sauce to the pot of cooked pasta serves two purposes: firstly, each delicious noodle is perfectly coated with the silky sauce, and secondly, it makes leftover pasta less dry, sticky and easier to portion out. If you'd like more sauce after you've coated the entire pot of pasta, then add more at this point.

    Substitutions & Variations

    • You can substitute various types of meat for the sausage in this recipe. I chose to highlight sausage as it is the meat that will cook the fastest. If you use meatballs or chicken drumsticks, increase the cooking time to 1 hour and 15 minutes. Going the beef short ribs route will require the low and slow approach, meaning you would gently simmer the sauce for approximately 2 hours.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    What is the difference between Sunday gravy and marinara?

    A marinara is essentially the base of a Sunday gravy or Sunday sauce. It includes such ingredients as crushed tomatoes, olive oil, onions, garlic and basil. The hallmark of a gravy is the inclusion of meat in the sauce. Sometimes cooked directly in the sauce or lightly sautéed before adding the tomatoes and the rest of the ingredients.

    Why is it sometimes called a Sunday sauce?

    Typically when Italians arrived in the United States and Canada in the early 1900s, they worked labour-intensive jobs and the only time rest was afforded to them was on Sunday. The biggest, most abundant meal was served after church on Sunday afternoons to celebrate time off and enjoy family. This was very popular in our family growing up. Though many no longer attend church as they once did, the tradition of Sunday lunch has endured. Perhaps not every week, but the ritual bears a strong attachment to the importance of family.

    What meat do Italians put in a Sunday sauce?

    Our family's top meat choices are homemade meatballs, Italian sausage, braciole (thin slices of beef rolled around a mixture of breadcrumbs, garlic, parsley and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese), beef short ribs and chicken drumsticks.

    Food safety

    • After you sauté the uncooked sausage, use another wooden spoon to occasionally stir the sauce while it simmers to avoid cross-contamination.

    Storage

    • Refrigerate this hearty marinara for up to two days and freeze for up to three months.
    The finished sauce freezes well for up to three months.

    Recipe Card

    A close up photo of a bowl of penne pasta with pieces of cut up Italian sausage. There is parmesan cheese grated over top.

    Hearty Marinara with Sausage

    Donna Poirier
    This Hearty Marinara with Sausage is the quintessential Sunday sauce or, as some Italians, particularly in certain parts of North America, like to call it, Sunday gravy.
    5 from 3 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 mins
    Cook Time 45 mins
    Total Time 55 mins
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine Italian
    Servings 4 servings
    Calories 439 kcal

    Equipment

    • heavy bottomed pot, such as a Dutch oven, or stainless steel pot
    • sharp chef's knife
    • cutting board
    • wooden spoon
    • measuring spoons

    Ingredients
     

    • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
    • 1 pound Italian sausage links, 454 grams sausage, cut in half
    • 1 cup yellow onion, one small onion, diced
    • 3 garlic cloves, finely minced
    • 1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes, 796 millilitres
    • 1 teaspoon dried basil
    • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
    • 1 dried bay leaf

    Instructions

    • Sauté:  To a heavy-bottomed 4-quart Dutch oven, add olive oil and, over medium-high heat, sauté sausage pieces until golden brown. This should take 5-8 minutes.
      1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 pound Italian sausage links
    • Add onion and garlic:  Once the sausage is golden brown and well caramelized, add in the diced onion and sauté until translucent, 3-5 minutes. Next, add garlic and sauté 30 seconds or until fragrant (be careful not to burn the garlic).
      1 cup yellow onion, 3 garlic cloves
    • Add remaining ingredients: Add crushed tomatoes, dried basil, kosher salt and the bay leaf.
      1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes, 1 teaspoon dried basil, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 dried bay leaf
    • Simmer:  Stir to combine and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low, simmer with the lid on, and cook for 30-45 minutes, stirring occasionally. When done, remove and discard the bay leaf, and your hearty marinara with sausage is ready to serve.

    Notes

    Be patient browning the sausage as the caramelization will add depth and give the sauce its hearty flavour, which is characteristic of a sauce that has simmered for longer than one hour.
    This recipe makes approximately 3 cups of sauce which is enough for one pound of pasta, typically serving 4.
    Serve with a generous dusting of grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino Romano cheese.

    Nutrition

    Nutrition Facts
    Amount per Serving
    Calories
    439
    % Daily Value*
    Fat
     
    39
    g
    60
    %
    Saturated Fat
     
    13
    g
    81
    %
    Trans Fat
     
    0.003
    g
    Polyunsaturated Fat
     
    5
    g
    Monounsaturated Fat
     
    19
    g
    Cholesterol
     
    86
    mg
    29
    %
    Sodium
     
    1416
    mg
    62
    %
    Potassium
     
    350
    mg
    10
    %
    Carbohydrates
     
    4
    g
    1
    %
    Fiber
     
    1
    g
    4
    %
    Sugar
     
    2
    g
    2
    %
    Protein
     
    17
    g
    34
    %
    Vitamin A
     
    6
    IU
    0
    %
    Vitamin C
     
    4
    mg
    5
    %
    Calcium
     
    39
    mg
    4
    %
    Iron
     
    2
    mg
    11
    %
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet. Nutrition information is approximated using an online nutrition calculator. It is included as a courtesy and should not be substituted for the advice of a professional nutritionist.
    Keyword pasta sauce, marinara, sausage, Sunday sauce, Sunday Gravy, pasta dish
    Did you make this recipe?Tag @ladypeartree or hashtag it #ladypeartree

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Alexandra Cousins says

      September 24, 2022 at 9:12 pm

      5 stars
      Oh my gosh this was so good. I liked your tip to brown the sausage, I think this really boosted the flavor!

      Reply
      • Donna Poirier says

        September 25, 2022 at 8:21 am

        Thanks Alexandra for the feedback.

        Reply
    2. Julie says

      October 06, 2022 at 8:35 pm

      5 stars
      I absolutely loved this pasta sauce and so did my son who prefers his pasta bare. It was very simple to make and by browning the sausages prior, it added a beautiful taste to the sauce which we loved. Super simple and delicious!

      Reply
      • Donna Poirier says

        October 07, 2022 at 7:17 am

        Ahhh thank you Julie for the positive comment. I’m happy you liked the pasta sauce and especially happy to hear that it was kid-approved 👍🏼😉😊

        Reply
    3. Cathy Delmonico says

      November 20, 2022 at 8:10 pm

      5 stars
      This was very quick to make on a weeknight. So simple I'll be making this again.

      Reply
      • Donna Poirier says

        November 21, 2022 at 11:09 am

        Hello Cathy, yes it is indeed a very quick and simple recipe-it's a good one to keep in your regular meal rotation!

        Reply

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