Chef John's Sunday Pasta Sauce

Chef John's Sunday Pasta Sauce
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 1 (1 inch thick) slice beef shank
  • 2 pounds pork spareribs
  • 2 bone-in chicken thighs
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 6 cloves garlic
  • 3 (28 ounce) cans crushed Italian (plum) tomatoes (such as San Marzano)
  • 2 cups water, divided
  • 1/4 cup tomato paste
  • 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
  • 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf (Italian) parsley
  • 2 teaspoons salt, or to taste
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes


  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
  2. Drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil in the bottom of a large roasting pan. Place beef, pork, and chicken in pan and turn to coat with olive oil.
  3. Roast in the preheated oven until meat is well browned, 20 to 30 minutes.
  4. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Cook and stir onion with a pinch of salt in hot oil until onion is soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic; cook and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute.
  5. Pour crushed tomatoes, 1 1/2 cups water, and tomato paste into onion mixture. Add roasted beef, pork, and chicken to tomato sauce mixture.
  6. Pour remaining 1/2 cup water into the roasting pan, and bring to a boil while scraping the browned bits of food off of the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Pour roasting pan water mixture into tomato mixture. Stir Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, Italian parsley, 2 teaspoons salt, ground black pepper, and red pepper flakes into tomato sauce; bring to a simmer, reduce heat to low, and simmer gently until sauce reduces and meat is tender, about 4 hours. Transfer meat to a dish. Adjust sauce seasonings to taste.

05/02/2018
Chef John's Sunday Pasta Sauce, recipe PT15M PT1H 5 455 calories

Comment on this content
rosemary and goat cheese crostini with walnuts and honey
rosemary and goat cheese crostini with walnuts and honey
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).Place baguette..
4.1
7209
ginger beer
ginger beer
Finely shred ginger into a bowl. Zest lemons and add zest to..
3.9
5563
black bean avocado hazelnut mocha cake
black bean avocado hazelnut mocha cake
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease an 8-i..
4.4
4349
asparagus summer soup
asparagus summer soup
Cut asparagus stalks into 1-inch pieces; reserve tips in a b..
3.4
4166
caribbean sangria
caribbean sangria
Place orange slices, peach slices, lemon slices, and lime sl..
4.2
4272
smoked paprika chicken, kale, and bean stew
smoked paprika chicken, kale, and bean stew
Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add chicken ..
3.7
4318
japanese-mexican fusion quesadillas
japanese-mexican fusion quesadillas
Combine soy sauce, sugar, ginger, and garlic in a large bowl..
2.9
5283
vegan oven-fried zucchini sticks
vegan oven-fried zucchini sticks
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spread olive ..
2.1
4800
flourless triple chocolate cookies
flourless triple chocolate cookies
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Spray 2 bakin..
3.4
4616
Chef John's BLT Pasta
Chef John's BLT Pasta
Pour olive oil into a heavy skillet over medium heat, add ba..
1707
Chef John's Pasta Primavera
Chef John's Pasta Primavera
Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a ro..
775
Chef John's Pasta con le Sarde
Chef John's Pasta con le Sarde
Cook and stir bread crumbs with 2 tablespoons olive oil in a..
901
Chef John's Creamy Mushroom Pasta
Chef John's Creamy Mushroom Pasta
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook and..
1949
Chef John's Chimichurri Sauce
Chef John's Chimichurri Sauce
Combine oil, garlic, vinegar, salt, cumin, red pepper flakes..
891
Chef John's Remoulade Sauce
Chef John's Remoulade Sauce
Stir mayonnaise, cornichons, dill, capers, lemon juice, Dijo..
790
Chef John's Green Sauce
Chef John's Green Sauce
Crush garlic and salt in a molcajete or with a mortar and pe..
790