We eat fish on Christmas Eve — no meat allowed. After Midnight Mass, all bets are off! We make this sauce for Christmas Day; you can’t fit another meat in the pot! As many times as you reheat it, it just gets that much better, so if people are coming and going throughout the day, cook off only as much pasta as you need at the time — half a pound for every three people.
| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 35 min |
| Prep: | 15 min |
| Cook: | 20 min |
| Yield: | 4 large servings |
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 bay leaf, fresh or dried
- 1/4 pound pancetta, thick cut, chopped into small bits (Italian cured pork, ask at deli counter)
- 1/2 pound bulk hot Italian sausage
- 1 pound combined ground beef, pork and veal
- 1 medium carrot, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 rib celery, chopped
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 cup good quality dry red wine
- 1 cup prepared beef stock, paper container or canned
- 2 (32-ounce) cans chunky style crushed tomatoes
- A handful chopped flat leaf parsley leaves
- 1/4 teaspoon (a couple of pinches) allspice or cinnamon
- Coarse salt and black pepper
- 2 pounds penne rigate, cooked to al dente
- Grated Pecorino Romano, as an accompaniment
- Fresh, crusty bread, for mopping
Instructions
- Heat a deep pot over medium high heat. Add oil, garlic, bay, and pancetta bits and brown for 1 minute. Add meats and brown and crumble them for 5 minutes.
- Chop carrot, celery, and onions near the stove and add to the pot as you work. Cook vegetables with meat 5 minutes and add wine. Cook for 1 minute; add stock and tomatoes to the pot.
- Stir in parsley, allspice, or cinnamon and season sauce with salt and pepper, to taste. Bring sauce to a boil, reduce heat to medium low, and cook 10 to 15 minutes minimum before serving. Reheated sauce only improves.
- Toss pasta (cook off only as much pasta as you need at the time: half a pound for every 3 people) with a couple of ladles of sauce to coat, then top bowl with extra sauce. Top pasta with lots of cheese and pass bread at the table.
Reviews
Loved the addition of bacon. I’ll be making this again.
I followed recipe except I let it simmer uncovered for an hour. Not at all too runny. Next time I will add Italian spices to amp up the flavor.
This is a family favorite we serve every Christmas!
Rachel this is my family recipe. To a tee. For Sunday Sauce. Now – if you are making chicken cacciatore, you eliminate the meats – add a chopped green pepper to the veggies AND one tbsp of ground allspice plus a bay leaf. Serve with polenta. That was my grandfather’s recipe for rabbit first marinated in wine and onions. But I substitute chicken thighs and drumsticks on the bone with skin – braised in a dutch oven at 325 degrees. Merry Christmas!
Delicious! Made and froze the extra sauce. Just as delicious as when first cooked the second time around.
The flavor was good, but my family did not love the carrots. They are picky eaters, other than that it was great!
I have made this twice, the first time guests said it was the best meat pasta dish ever, I was less impressed the second time…..I stumbled onto the recipe on line this morning and after reading the notes, I will be making again. Thanks for a great base recipe and thanks to other reviewers for your ideas.
Make this dish!
Made this for our family this Christmas. OMG, what a hit with everyone especially my granbabies! Tradition has always been my Nonna’s sauce and gnocchi’s, they weren’t missed sorry Nonna. Thank you Rachel for a new tradition, at least a switch off
LOVE this recipe! We found it about 4 years ago and it is my go to Birthday dinner each year from my husband! (My bday is 6 days before Christmas!)