Pasta With Hearty Italian Meat Sauce (Sunday Gravy)

Ingredients

SAUCE
2 tablespoons olive oil
2-1⁄4 pounds baby back ribs, cut into 2-rib sections
Salt and pepper
1 pound hot Italian sausage
2 onions, chopped fine
1-1⁄4 teaspoons dried oregano
3 tablespoons tomato paste
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 (28-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
2⁄3 cup beef broth
1⁄4 cup chopped fresh basil
MEATBALLS AND PASTA
2 slices hearty white sandwich bread, crusts removed and bread torn into small pieces
1⁄2 cup buttermilk
1 pound meatloaf mix
2 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, chopped fine
1 ounce Pecorino Romano cheese, grated (1⁄2 cup)
1⁄4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 large egg yolk
Salt
1⁄4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1⁄2 cup olive oil
1-1⁄2 pounds spaghetti or linguine
Grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

FOR THE SAUCE: Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Pat ribs dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Brown half of ribs well on both sides, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer ribs to large plate and repeat with remaining ribs. After transferring second batch of ribs to plate, brown sausage well on all sides, 5 to 7 minutes; transfer to plate.
Add onions and oregano to fat left in pot and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until onions are softened and lightly browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, until very dark, about 3 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in crushed tomatoes and broth, scraping up any browned bits. Nestle browned ribs and sausage into pot. Bring to simmer, cover, and transfer to oven. Cook until ribs are tender, about 2-1⁄2 hours.
FOR THE MEATBALLS: While sauce cooks, mash bread and buttermilk in large bowl using fork. Let stand 10 minutes. Mix in meatloaf mix, prosciutto, Pecorino, parsley, garlic, egg yolk, 1⁄2 teaspoon salt, and pepper flakes using hands. Pinch off and roll mixture into 12 meatballs. Transfer meatballs to plate, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until ready to use.
When sauce is 30 minutes from being done, heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Brown meatballs well on all sides, 5 to 7 minutes; transfer to paper towel–lined plate. Remove sauce from oven and remove fat from surface using large spoon. Gently nestle browned meatballs into sauce. Cover, return pot to oven, and continue to cook until meatballs are just cooked through, about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, bring 6 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add pasta and 2 tablespoons salt and cook, stirring often, until al dente. Reserve 1⁄2 cup cooking water, then drain pasta and return it to pot.
Using tongs, transfer meatballs, ribs, and sausage to serving platter and cut each sausage in half. Stir basil into sauce and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add 1 cup sauce and reserved cooking water to pasta and toss to combine. Serve, passing remaining sauce, meat platter, and Parmesan separately. (Sauce and meatballs can be cooled and refrigerated for up to 2 days.)

Pasta With Hearty Italian Meat Sauce (Sunday Gravy)

Ingredients

Instructions

Tags

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