Jul 14 2026
Restaurants›Scalessa's "My Way" Old School Italian Kitchen›Grandma's Sunday Gravy And Rigatoni Recipe

Grandma's Sunday Gravy And Rigatoni Recipe

Inspired by Scalessa's "My Way" Old School Italian Kitchen
Time3h
Serves6

with Pork Butt and sweet sausage (our meat sauce)

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Ingredients

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Meat Sauce Ingredients

Rigatoni Ingredients

Method

Meat Sauce Directions

  1. 1

    Prepare the Meat

    In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the pork butt and sweet Italian sausage. Brown the meat on all sides for about 5-7 minutes. Remove the browned meat and set aside.

  2. 2

    Cook the Aromatics

    In the same pot, add the diced onion, carrot, and celery. Sauté for about 5 minutes until the onion becomes translucent. Add minced garlic and cook for another minute until fragrant.

  3. 3

    Combine Ingredients

    Return the browned meats to the pot. Add crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, red wine, oregano, basil, salt, pepper, and bay leaf. Stir well to combine all ingredients.

  4. 4

    Simmer the Sauce

    Bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce to low heat. Cover and let it simmer for 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally, until the pork is tender and the sauce thickens.

  5. 5

    Shred the Meat

    After the simmering time, remove the pork butt from the sauce. Shred the meat with two forks and return it to the sauce. Adjust seasoning if necessary.

Rigatoni Directions

  1. 6

    Cook the Pasta

    While the sauce is simmering, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add rigatoni pasta and cook according to package instructions until al dente, usually around 10-12 minutes.

  2. 7

    Drain and Combine

    Once cooked, drain the rigatoni and add it to the meat sauce. Toss to combine so that the pasta is well coated with the sauce.

  3. 8

    Serve

    Serve the rigatoni with the meat sauce, topped with grated Parmesan cheese and fresh chopped basil.

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