Tomato Gravy | Red Sauce

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I have been making tomato gravy for years. It’s chunky, hearty and so delicious you could literally eat it by the spoonful, like soup. But save it to make all your pasta dishes scrumptious!

A white shallow bowl filled with pasta with red sauce on it. There is also a bowl of the gravy behind itPin

It is so satisfying ladling this pasta sauce onto your macaroni because you know that you are going to have a meal that will be both filling and delicious.

It’s filled with chunky veggies. If you want to add ground beef, you’ll have an even more robust meal.

I will go over quickly why I call the lovely red goodness above ‘gravy’. A lot of people differ on what to call it – gravy or sauce. I think what you call it depends on where in Italy your ancestors came from.

People without the Italian heritage usually call it sauce, unless they knew someone who called it gravy and the word stuck.

One thing I find interesting is that people who call it sauce seem to get irritated with people who call it gravy. At least that is my experience.

But if you ask a gravy type of person how they feel about ‘sauce’ people, they are usually indifferent.

I don’t care what you call it, just let me call it whatever I want.

Free speech and all that!

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Helpful tips

  • This is a vegetarian sauce but if you want extra protein, add a ground meat of your choice.
  • My mother used to make her gravy with green bell peppers; I prefer red bell peppers, so choose which one you prefer.
  • I use Vidalia onions since I like the sweetness, but if you prefer yellow onions, go for it.
  • When you add tomato paste, you need to add water to thin it out. The trick is finding the right amount to add. Remember, you can always add more but you can’t take it out.
  • When I add the water, I use the tomato paste can to measure it. It also helps clean the can of residual paste.
  • Hubby loves when I add extra oil to sauté the vegetables because it makes the gravy velvety. Use what you are comfortable with. Two tablespoons is a good place to start.

How to make tomato gravy

Pre-step

Get a stockpot or Dutch oven.

Step one

Gather the ingredients – red bell pepper, onion, garlic and mushrooms. (A)

Step two

Chop the onion and red pepper in chunks (B) and slice the mushrooms and mince the garlic.

Left photo - red bell pepper, onion, garlic and mushrooms. Right photo, chopped onions in a black bowl and the red bell pepper in a brown bowlPin

Step three

Heat your stockpot or Dutch oven on medium and once the pan has heated, add 2 – 4 tablespoons of olive oil.

After the oil heats up, add the red bell pepper and onions in the pan and sauté for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. (C)

Step four

Add the mushrooms and garlic and sauté 5 more minutes. (D)

Onions and red bell pepper in the pan, and then added mushroomsPin

Step five

Gather the herbs – basil, oregano, parsley and thyme. (E)

Step six

Open the cans of diced tomatoes and tomato paste. (F)

Herbs on a small white dish and open cans of tomatoesPin

Step seven

Add the diced tomatoes, the tomato paste, 1 3/4 tomato paste cans of water, herbs, bay leaf, salt and pepper.

Herbs and diced tomatoes and tomato paste added to the panPin

Step eight

Once the tomato mixture comes to a boil, turn the heat down to simmer and let the concoction cook for 1 hour, stirring every 10 minutes or so.

The gravy fully cooked but still in the pan. There is a beige bowl in the background and pasta in a dishPin

I pour it into a serving bowl, but you can serve it out of the pan if you prefer.

Look at how chunky that is.

The tomato sauce in a beige bowl and a shallow bowl in the background with gravy on itPin

I spoon pasta in a bowl and ladle tomato gravy on it.

Closer view of the bowl with gravy on pastaPin

I hope you enjoyed this tomato gravy recipe as much as Christopher and I love to eat it.

And as always, may all your dishes be delish!

If you’ve tried this recipe, I’d love the know what you thought about it in the comments below. I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOKTWITTERINSTAGRAM and PINTEREST to see more of my delicious food and delightful cocktails!

A shallow white bowl filled with pasta and gravy on a grey napkin with a bowl of gravy in the backgroundPin

Tomato Gravy | Chunky Vegetables

Indulge your taste buds with a delicious tomato gravy! This classic pasta sauce is the perfect way to make any meal special. Ladle on macaroni, and you've got a tasty meal.
5 from 9 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Sauce
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: red gravy, spaghetti sauce
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings: 6 cups
Calories: 158kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 onion (large, chopped in chunks)
  • 1 red bell pepper (large, chopped in chunks)
  • 10 ounces portobello mushrooms (package of sliced baby Bellas)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3 cloves garlic (minced)
  • 28 ounces diced tomatoes
  • 12 ounces tomato paste
  • water (1 3/4 cans full – use tomato paste can)
  • 1 tablespoon dried basil
  • 1 tablespoon dried oregano
  • 1 tablespoon dried parsley
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
  • pepper to taste
  • 1 bay leaf

Instructions

  • Heat a Dutch oven or stockpot on medium heat. Add olive oil and once that heats up, add the onion and bell pepper, and sauté for 10 minutes.
    1 onion, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 red bell pepper
  • Add mushrooms and garlic and sauté for 5 minutes
    10 ounces portobello mushrooms, 3 cloves garlic
  • Add diced tomatoes, paste and 1 3/4 cans of water (use the paste can). Stir and until the paste dissolves.
    28 ounces diced tomatoes, 12 ounces tomato paste, water
  • Add herbs, bay leaf, salt, bay leaf, and pepper.
    1 tablespoon dried basil, 1 tablespoon dried oregano, 1 tablespoon dried parsley, 1 teaspoon dried thyme, 1 teaspoon salt, pepper to taste, 1 bay leaf
  • Once mixture comes to a boil, lower to simmer and cook for 1 hour, stirring every 10 minutes.
  • Ladle on pasta.
  • Smile
  • Enjoy

Equipment

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Notes

Calorie calculations are for the gravy alone, not the pasta.
Helpful tips
    • This is a vegetarian sauce, but if you want extra protein, add your choice of ground meat. I usually go with a mixture of pork and beef.
    • My mother used to make her gravy with green bell peppers; I prefer red bell peppers, so choose which one you prefer.
    • I use Vidalia onions since I like the sweetness, but if you prefer yellow onions, go for it.
    • When you add tomato paste, you must add water to thin it out. The trick is finding the right amount to add. Remember, you can always add more, but you can’t take it out.
    • When I add the water, I use the tomato paste can to measure it. It also helps clean the can of residual paste.
    • Hubby loves when I add extra oil to sauté the vegetables because it makes the gravy velvety. Use what you are comfortable with. Two tablespoons is a good place to start.
    • This recipe is not Southern tomato gravy, which is made in a skillet and consists of diced tomatoes, all-purpose flour, bacon grease, chicken broth, and salt and pepper. It is also usually dolloped on homemade biscuits, rice, grits, and other Southern fare.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cup | Calories: 158kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 880mg | Potassium: 1038mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 1655IU | Vitamin C: 52mg | Calcium: 104mg | Iron: 4mg
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Recipe Rating




24 Comments

  1. Well this gravy sounds amazing. Perfect for pasta, rice, potatoes….and even in subs. This needs to happen in my kitchen for sure.

  2. Made this and it was great! Added ground beef…delicious. And yup I don’t care if it’s gravy or sauce haha as long as it’s tasty!

  3. I am thinking of a new delicious sauce for my pasta and this tomato gravy is perfect. My wife will love this.

  4. This is such a great basic red sauce!! So versatile and can be used so many different ways . This is just fabulous!

  5. This is very different than the Sunday sauce I grew up with. Super chunky. I’m excited to change up my sauce game for a little something different.

    1. I make my gravy super chunky, unlike my whole family. I think it was because I was a vegetarian for many years and it made the gravy interesting. My family uses meat for the chunk! Thanks Christine. 🙂

  6. What a beautiful sauce (I guess I belong to team sauce haha)! I love the chunky veggies in it, and I love that you served it with orecchiette, one of my favourite types of pasta. They pair so well with a chunky sauce!

    1. Thanks Eva. And no judgement about you calling it ‘sauce’. 😉 Yes, I love orecchiette too and how it captures the chunky gravy. 🙂

  7. I grew up calling it a gravy, not a sauce, and I’m not even Italian, so I’m glad you called it the same, LOL!

    1. How absolutely fun Marta. I wonder if one of your parents grew up with a friend that called it gravy and then adapted it. 🙂 Thanks for letting me know.

  8. This tomato gravy is a regular in my kitchen. Just like yours, I also serve it with pasta and it’s so good! Love your recipe.