Homemade Pasta Sauce (In the Sicilian dialect it’s called sugu and that’s what my Italian father’s family calls it) is the one recipe I asked my parents to teach me to make when I moved out of the house. I could warm up a ham steak, canned green beans, and a box of macaroni and cheese like nobody’s business…and make sugu (I have grown a lot since then).
Pasta with sugu was the after Mass family dinner every Sunday in my father’s home. Like most Italian Americans it’s the dish that’s expected at every family gathering. Only recently did I find out that my father asked his mother (my Nana) to teach him and my mother to make her pasta sauce before they got married. It was that important to him. Makes sense why my Irish/German mother can make an amazing sugu, just like my father.
Pasta Sauce Ingredients
This homemade pasta sauce is surprisingly simple yet so delicious, you will never want to buy jarred sauce ever again! From my family to yours!
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- onion, garlic cloves, salt, pepper, sugar, and basil leaves
- Italian sausage (and homemade meatballs, but that’s for another day)
- pork cocktail ribs (preferred) or country-style ribs
- 2 lbs. pasta of choice
- Freshly grated Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano Regiano cheese
- Water
How to Make the Best Homemade Pasta Sauce
1. Sauté onion in olive oil until translucent in a stock pot of sufficient size to hold all of the ingredients.
2. Add the garlic and sauté briefly but do not let it brown. Pour in the two cans of puree, the paste and all of the water (7 cups) and mix well. Add the salt, pepper, sugar and 1/2 the basil leaves, torn. Bring the sauce to a boil, cover and turn down to a low simmer.
3. Meanwhile, in a separate sauté pan, brown the ribs seasoned with salt and pepper, along with the sausage in just enough olive oil to coat the pan (1tbs) about 8-10 minutes. Just brown the meats. You will be cooking them in the sauce. Add the meats to the sauce and simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, skimming off the fat that rises to the surface. When the rib meat is tender, the sauce is done.
4. Cook the pasta in boiling salted water until al dente. Drain and add enough sauce to amply coat along with the remaining torn basil leaves. Serve meats, extra sauce and cheese for grating on the side.
If you try this recipe and love it, I would love if you could come back and give it 5 stars! Tag me on Instagram @bluefieldkitchen
Homemade Pasta Sauce (Family Recipe)
Equipment
- Large Stock Pot
- Sauté Pan
- Knife
- Cutting Board
- Measuring Spoons
- Mixing Spoon
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
- 1 medium onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 15 oz. can tomato puree
- 2 6 oz. can tomato paste (or 1 12 oz can of paste if you can find it)
- 7 cups water
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 1/2 tbsp sugar
- 10-12 basil leaves torn roughly
- 1 1/2 – 2 lbs. Italian Sausage
- 1 lb. pork cocktail ribs (preferred) or country-style ribs
- 2 lb. pasta of choice
- freshly grated Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano Regiano cheese
Instructions
- Sauté onion in olive oil until translucent in a stock pot of sufficient size to hold all of the ingredients.
- Add the garlic and saute briefly, but do not let it brown. Pour in the cans of puree, the paste, and all of the water (7 cups). Mix well.
- Add the salt, pepper, sugar, and half of the basil leaves, torn.
- Bring the sauce to a boil, cover and turn down to a low simmer.
- Meanwhile, in a separate sauté pan, brown the ribs seasoned with salt and pepper, along with the sausage in just enough olive oil to coat the pan (1 tbsp) about 8-10 minutes. Just brown the meats. You will be cooking them in the sauce.
- Add the browned meats to the sauce and simmer 1 1/2 to 2 hours, skimming off the fat that rises to the surface. When the rib meat is tender, the sauce is done.
- Cook the pasta in boiling salted water until al dente. Drain and add enough sauce to amply coat along with the remaining torn basil leaves. Serve meats, extra sauce, and cheese for grating on the side.
I love how even from same family every ones sauce is just a little bit different. Mom Cafazza always used pork neck bones.
I made your chicken and sausage gumbo and it was delicious.
I always wondered how everyone else in the family made the Cafazza Sugu! We have definitely used neck bones as well. Just depends on what’s available.
So excited you tried the gumbo! It is so delicious!!
I use neckbone too! I used to get mine at the Meat Science lab at U if I, and they were fresh and surprisingly meaty. The bone flavors the sauce really well. When I told my dad he said that’s not how we make basta sauce but I knew I’d heard it from someone! Susanne, I always have called it basta—do you guys do that?
I think I make mine pretty similarly but Uncle John’s and my dad’s always taste better than mine. Probably because they’re cooking😉
Absolutely!! My dad and I made it together this time so it definitely tasted excellent!
My dad has always referred to it as “sugu”. I have always said spaghetti or pasta sauce. I love that every little Italian family has their own traditions.
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