This recipe came from my sister and her husband Ken and is named after the mother of one of Ken’s fraternity brothers whose last name was Siano. He had moved to Oklahoma from New York for the cheap college tuition and decided to stay after graduation.

After college, my sister and her husband would cook together with 3 other couples including this fraternity brother and his wife. A version of this recipe was one that was shared among the group. I say version because when asked for the recipe, all his mother had given them was a list of ingredients. My brother-in-law worked out these proportions after much experimentation. – John

Italian Gravy

  • 4 lbs Italian link sausage
  • garlic chunks
  • 128 oz tomato puree
  • 24 oz tomato paste
  • 10 oz water
  • 2 tsp pepper
  • olive oil
  • 1/2 cup parsley
  • 1 tsp basil
  • 2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 3 tsp salt

Cut the sausage up into bite sized chunks. Brown the sausage and meatballs in oil and remove. Brown the garlic chunks and add the other ingredients. Simmer on low heat for 6 to 10 hours.

Notes

A crock pot is a great way to make this recipe and avoid scorching the sauce on the bottom of the pot during the long cooking process. I’ve also noticed that modern spicy Italian sausage is much more spicy than what we were using back in the 80s and 90s. To cut down on the heat, I’ve been cutting the sausage in half and substituting meatballs.

Notes from December, 2021

Recently, I made a version of this recipe with Johnsonville Mild Italian Sausage with no meatballs. I also cooked it in  a 250 degree oven in a large dutch oven. To make it fit, I only used 128oz of tomato puree, but still used 4lbs of sausage. After about 6 hours, the aroma reminded me of Ken’s original version.

Next time, I plan to use sausage from Lovera’s Italian Market in Krebs, OK.

Italian Meatballs

  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 2 eggs
  • Parsley
  • Italian bread crumbs
  • Parmesan cheese
  • Garlic powder

The meatballs seem to be an afterthought in this recipe. After talking with my sister, I discovered she didn’t care for the spicy sausage and wanted meatballs added.