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    Home » Dressings, Sauces & Spreads » Tomato Gravy | Red Sauce

    Tomato Gravy | Red Sauce

    Last updated on May 3, 2021. Originally posted on August 3, 2020 By Elaine 24 Comments

    304 shares
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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 it

    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!

    This post may contain affiliate links, which means I get a small commission, at no additional cost to you, if you click the link and buy something. You can read my disclosure here.

    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 bowl

    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 mushrooms

    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 tomatoes

    Step seven

    Add the diced tomatoes, the tomato paste, 1 ¾ tomato paste cans of water, herbs, bay leaf, salt and pepper.

    Herbs and diced tomatoes and tomato paste added to the pan

    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 dish

    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 it

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

    Closer view of the bowl with gravy on pasta

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

    Other popular Italian recipes

    • Instant pot spaghetti sauce
    • Eggplant parmesan
    • Focaccia pizza

    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 FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM 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 background

    Tomato Gravy | Chunky Vegetables

    This delicious recipe is perfect on your pasta or even just topped on a piece of bread!
    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
    Author: Elaine Benoit

    Ingredients

    • 1 onion large, chopped in chunks
    • 1 red bell pepper large, chopped in chunks
    • 1 package portobello mushrooms package of sliced baby bellas
    • 3 tablespoons olive oil
    • 3 cloves garlic minced
    • 28 ounces diced tomatoes
    • 12 ounces tomato paste
    • Water (1 ¾ 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 large sauce pan on medium heat
    • Chop the onion and bell pepper into chunks
    • Add olive oil and heat it up
    • Add onion and bell pepper and sauté for 10 minutes
    • Add mushrooms and garlic and sauté for 5 minutes
    • Add diced tomatoes, paste and 1 ¾ cans of water (use the paste can)
    • Add herbs, bay leaf, salt and pepper
    • Once mixture comes to a boil, lower to simmer and cook for 1 hour, stirring every 10 minutes
    • Ladle on pasta
    • Smile
    • Enjoy

    Equipment

    Dutch oven
    See all my favorite tools and gift ideas at my Amazon Store page!Check out Elaine’s Amazon Store!

    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 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.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1cup | Calories: 158kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 1031mg | Potassium: 1038mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 1655IU | Vitamin C: 52mg | Calcium: 104mg | Iron: 4mg
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Dakota

      November 28, 2016 at 3:05 pm

      Yum, the gravy almost looks like a salsa, very chunky. I might try this as a taco, or even as a salsa dip.

      Reply
      • Elaine

        November 29, 2016 at 8:02 pm

        Thank you so much and yes, other than it not being spicy, it’s yummy on chips. Ask me how I know! 😉

        Reply
    2. Joyce

      March 21, 2018 at 5:02 pm

      I made this last night and it came out perfect! I love this recipe!

      Reply
      • Elaine

        August 03, 2020 at 11:35 am

        I’m so happy to hear that Joyce!

        Reply
    3. Gloria

      August 03, 2020 at 1:44 pm

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

      Reply
      • Elaine

        August 03, 2020 at 3:20 pm

        Thank you Gloria! It is a staple in our house.

        Reply
    4. HEATHER PERINE

      August 03, 2020 at 6:12 pm

      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!

      Reply
      • Elaine

        August 04, 2020 at 11:52 am

        I’m so glad to hear that Heather. I do make it with meat half the time. Thanks for letting me know!

        Reply
    5. Chef Dennis

      August 03, 2020 at 10:50 pm

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

      Reply
      • Elaine

        August 04, 2020 at 11:58 am

        Thanks Dennis! I hope you both enjoy it!

        Reply
    6. Debbie

      August 04, 2020 at 10:05 am

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

      Reply
      • Elaine

        August 04, 2020 at 11:59 am

        Thank you Debbie! I appreciate it.

        Reply
    7. christine

      August 04, 2020 at 12:05 pm

      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.

      Reply
      • Elaine

        August 04, 2020 at 12:48 pm

        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. 🙂

        Reply
    8. Eva

      August 04, 2020 at 2:38 pm

      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!

      Reply
      • Elaine

        August 05, 2020 at 12:28 pm

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

        Reply
    9. Marta

      August 04, 2020 at 3:11 pm

      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!

      Reply
      • Elaine

        August 05, 2020 at 12:30 pm

        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.

        Reply
    10. Denise

      August 09, 2020 at 11:40 am

      ooh I love chunky sauces! This Tomato Gravy looks incredible and flavorful, I can’t wait to try it.

      Reply
      • Elaine

        August 09, 2020 at 1:10 pm

        Thanks Denise! I too love chunky sauces! 🙂 I hope you enjoy it when you do!

        Reply
    11. Moop Brown

      August 09, 2020 at 11:00 pm

      Love this recipe- it seems super versatile and able to go with a variety of different dishes. Thanks!

      Reply
      • Elaine

        August 10, 2020 at 10:05 am

        Thank you so much Moop! I use it in so many different ways, one of my favorites is using it as pizza sauce.

        Reply
    12. Jo

      August 09, 2020 at 11:53 pm

      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.

      Reply
      • Elaine

        August 10, 2020 at 10:05 am

        Thanks so much Jo! Hubby wants me to make it a lot and I comply! 🙂

        Reply

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    Hi, I'm Elaine! I'm so glad you stopped by. Here you will find lots of tasty cocktails, comforting food and inspiration for your next meal. I LOVE chocolate, almost all foods, blogging, photography and spending time with my hubby!

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