Italian Red Gravy (Gluten Free)

This gluten free Italian red gravy is a traditional sauce that’s simmered with lots of fried meat.

Do you have special memories connected with certain foods?

When I was a young girl, my good friend was Italian. She often invited me to come with her to her grandmother’s house on Sunday. There were always large homemade meatballs, succulent pork chops, sweet Italian sausage, and pasta.

There was always joking and laughter as her aunts, uncles, and cousins gathered together. They treated me like family, and I’ll never forget their warm smiles. 

This is the sauce, which they called Italian red gravy, that her grandma would make. It’s a traditional sauce that’s simmered with lots of fried meat.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 small onion finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove finely chopped
• 2 stalks celery finely chopped 
• 2 carrots finely chopped 
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 28-ounce cans gluten free tomato puree
• 1 6-ounce can of gluten free tomato paste
• red wine
• a bay leaf
• parmesan cheese rind
• and oregano 

And meat

• pork chops
• meatballs
• Italian sweet sausage

Instructions

*Free printable recipe card is available at the end of the post.

Italian cooks call the foundation of this sauce: soffritto. It always begins with celery, onions, and carrots.

In a large dutch oven pot, heat the oil over a medium flame. Then add your onions, celery and carrots and sauté until the onions are translucent, about ten minutes. Add your garlic and stir for one more minute.

Turn the flame down to a simmer and slowly add the tomato puree, tomato paste, bay leaf, salt and oregano and stir.

A SECRET INGREDIENT

Now Italian cooks have a secret ingredient. Oooh… doesn’t that sound intriguing? But it’s true.

They add a parmesan cheese rind to the pot.  It infuses your sauce with flavor plus it adds a bit of thickness. So next time you’re about to finish up that wedge of cheese, save the rind.

Add a splash of wine, too and stir.

Finally add meat: browned pork chops, meatballs, and Italian sweet sausage.

Stir now and then and simmer covered over low heat until the sauce thickens, about 3 hours.

Pro Tips And Recipe Notes

• For the juiciest chops, the most important tip that I can give you is to brine the chops. Just soak the meat in salt water for an hour. This traps the moisture in the meat. Rinse the salt water off and pat dry when finished brining. You’ll be left with tenderized, juicy chops. Then you can brown the chops and add them to your simmering sauce.
• For your meatballs, here is my gluten free meatballs recipe or if you prefer grain free low carb meatballs here. Add them to your simmering sauce.
• Not all sausages are gluten free so be sure to check the ingredients. Brown your Italian Sweet sausage before adding them to the sauce. 
• Leftover sauce will keep in an airtight container for 4 days.
• Can you freeze this sauce for later? Yes. Let the sauce cool before transferring it to an airtight container. It will keep for 4-6 months.

Happy cooking! And if you have any questions please reach out to me in the comments or shoot me an email, and I’ll respond ASAP.

More traditional Italian/American recipes

Gluten Free Chicken Parmesan This includes step by step tutorial with photos!

Gluten Free Classic Italian Lasagna This includes lots of tips and photos!

Gluten Free Baked Ziti This tastes similar to lasagna, but so much easier to make.

Chicken And Peppers This is the secret family recipe!

Mushroom Risotto This delicious creamy Italian rice turns ordinary mushrooms into a yummy dish.

Osso Buco This is a traditional Milanese dish braised in a white wine and vegetable broth. Yum.

Gluten Free Eggplant Rollatini This is a fantastic way to cook eggplant so that it turns out rich and creamy oozing with cheese and sweet basil.

Easy Minestrone Soup (Low Carb And Gluten Free) This low carb version of minestrone (minus beans and pasta) is loaded with veggies, herbs and spices. 

Chicken Rollatini This fast, easy and delicious recipe is a perfect dish for a busy evening.

 Strawberry Granita This is a dessert originally from Sicily, similar to snow cones and Italian ice.

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Gluten Free Italian Red Gravy

This gluten free Italian "red gravy" is simmered with lots of fried meat.

 

Course Side

Cuisine Italian-American

Keyword gluten free, homemade spaghetti sauce from scratch, Italian tomato sauce recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 3 hours hours

Servings 12

Calories 63kcal

Author Barbara Bianchi

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 small onion finely chopped
• 2 stalks celery finely chopped
• 2 carrots finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove finely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 28-ounce cans gluten free tomato puree
• 1 6- ounce gluten free tomato paste
• red wine
• 1 dried bay leaf
• oregano to taste
• 1 inch parmesan cheese rind
• gluten free meatballs fried
• pork chops browned
• Italian Sweet sausage browned
• grated parmigiana cheese optional

Instructions

• In a large dutch oven pot, heat the oil over a medium flame. Then add your onions, celery and carrots and sauté until the onions are translucent, about ten minutes.

  Add your garlic and stir for one more minute.
• Turn flame down to a simmer and slowly add the tomato puree, tomato paste, bay leaf, oregano, parmesan cheese rind, and salt.
• Then add a splash of red wine. Add the meats.
• Stir now and then and simmer covered over low heat until the sauce thickens, about 3 hours.

  Remove the bay leaf and parmesan cheese rind. Serve with freshly grated parmesan on the side. Mangia!

Notes

• Calorie count does not include meat that you may add.
• Don't throw away your parmesan cheese rind. Italian cooks have a secret ingredient. They add a parmesan cheese rind to the pot. It's the aged and hardened exterior of the cheese that has been washed in salt brine. It infuses your sauce with flavor.
• For the juiciest chops, the most important tip that I can give you is to brine the chops. Just soak the meat in salt water for an hour. This traps the moisture in the meat. Rinse the salt water off and pat dry when finished brining. You’ll be left with tenderized, juicy chops. Then you can brown the chops and add them to your simmering sauce.
• For your meatballs, here is my gluten free meatballs recipe or grain free low carb meatballs here. Add them to your simmering sauce.
• Not all sausages are gluten free so be sure to check the ingredients. Brown your Italian Sweet sausage before adding them to the sauce. 
• Leftover sauce will keep in an airtight container for 4 days.
• Can you freeze this sauce for later? Yes. Let the sauce cool before transferring it to an airtight container. It will keep for 4-6 months.

Nutrition

Calories: 63kcal

did you make this recipe? We want to see! Take a pic, and tag @glutenfreehomestead on Instagram.