Nancy's Sunday Sauce Recipe

Prepare tomatoes

Crush the canned whole plum tomatoes by hand into a bowl or briefly pulse 2–3 times in a blender for a slightly chunky texture. Reserve juices.

In a large heavy-bottomed Dutch oven or pot over medium heat, add 2 tbsp olive oil. Add the finely diced onion and a pinch of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent and just beginning to brown, about 8–10 minutes.

Add 3 tbsp of the minced garlic to the onions and cook for 1 minute until fragrant, taking care not to burn the garlic.

Stir in the tomato paste and cook 2–3 minutes, stirring, until it darkens slightly—this develops sweetness and depth.

Add the crushed tomatoes and their juices and the reserved tomato juices to the pot. Add the stock and stir to combine.

Add sugar, dried oregano, dried basil, dried thyme, bay leaves, crushed red pepper flakes, 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp black pepper. Bring to a gentle simmer.

Reduce heat to very low so the sauce barely bubbles. Partially cover and simmer slowly for 1 hour, stirring every 10–15 minutes. If sauce reduces too much, add up to 1/2 cup water or stock to loosen.

While the sauce is simmering, heat a separate large skillet over medium-high heat and add the remaining 2 tbsp olive oil.

Squeeze the sweet Italian sausage from casings and form into 1½-inch meatballs or leave as loose crumbles. Do the same with the optional spicy sausage if using. Season lightly with 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper.

Brown the meat in batches: sear meatballs or crumbled sausage in the hot skillet without crowding until a deep brown crust forms, about 3–4 minutes per side for meatballs, slightly less for loose sausage. Transfer browned meat to a plate.

If there are browned bits in the skillet, add 1/4 cup stock to the skillet and deglaze, scraping up fond; pour this into the simmering tomato sauce.

Gently nestle the browned meat into the slow-simmering sauce. Continue to simmer, covered, on low for another 45–60 minutes so flavors meld and sausages finish cooking through. Stir gently occasionally so meat doesn't break apart too much.

About 15 minutes before the sauce is done, bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil (about 4–6 quarts water, 1–2 tbsp salt).

Cook the imported spaghetti according to package directions until just shy of al dente (usually 1–2 minutes less than stated). Reserve 1 cup of pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta.

Transfer the drained pasta to the pot with sauce (or into a large shallow pan). Add 1/2 cup reserved pasta water and toss gently with tongs to combine and allow the pasta to finish cooking in the sauce for 1–2 minutes. Add more pasta water as needed to reach a silky consistency.

Turn off heat. Stir in fresh torn basil and 1 tbsp olive oil. Taste and adjust seasoning with additional salt and pepper if needed.

Serve the spaghetti topped with pieces of the sweet/spicy Italian sausage and generous grating of myzithra cheese. Offer extra cheese at the table.

Leftover sauce (without pasta) will keep in the refrigerator 4–5 days or freeze up to 3 months.