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Sugo is a classic Italian tomato sauce recipe perfect for serving over pasta, polenta, rice, and more. Complete with whole tomatoes, red wine, and fresh basil, this flavorful sugo recipe is guaranteed to impress everyone at the table! It is also known as Sunday Sauce!
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Sugo Recipe
When I say my favorite Italian recipe is a simple tomato sauce, it always seems to surprise people, but it’s true. I would choose this easy Authentic Italian tomato sauce over more complicated recipes more often than not, and I’ll tell you why!
Although sugo is by far one of the simplest Italian tomato sauce recipes to make, it is so light and flavorful. Its thick texture from using whole tomatoes means it clings to pasta well, so it’s perfect for a refreshing pasta dinner.
Once you try this easy recipe for Sunday sauce, I guarantee you will want to make it again for more than just pasta. Try adding ground beef for a light meat sauce, or serve it as a tomato dip for mozzarella sticks instead of marinara.
Sugo Sauce Ingredients
- Extra-Virgin Olive oil
- Onion
- Garlic
- Whole peeled tomatoes, canned (San Marzano style)*
- Dry Red wine or white wine
- Red pepper flakes
- Salt
- Black Pepper
- Basil, fresh
- Bucatini pasta, or pasta of choice
- Parsley, optional, for garnish
*Canned, San Marzano tomatoes – good quality tomatoes work best for this recipe; other styles of canned tomatoes won’t work. See the recipe tips below for tips on using fresh tomatoes.
Sugo Pasta Recipe
- Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Once hot, add onion and garlic. Saute for 3-5 minutes.
- Add whole peeled tomatoes and stir to combine. If you prefer a less chunky texture, smash the tomatoes with the back of your wooden spoon while cooking. You can also use an immersion blender to make a smoother sauce.
- Pour in red wine, and stir.
- Season with red pepper flakes and fresh basil, and stir again to combine.
- Let the sauce simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. The sauce can be left to simmer for longer for deeper flavor.
- If preparing pasta for sugo, cook according to package directions near the end of the sauce cooking time.
Taste, add salt and pepper and parmesan cheese as desired, and serve!
Sugo Recipe Tips
- If you want, you can also use fresh tomatoes, but for best results they should be cocktail Campari tomatoes. Campari tomatoes are a variety of tomato that is slightly larger than grape and cherry tomatoes.
- If you use fresh tomatoes, cut them in half and cook them with the garlic and onions. Crush them as they begin to cook. You would need about 1 pound of fresh tomatoes to use fresh instead of canned.
- Use a high-quality olive oil for best results. Olive oil is a major component in sugo, so the better the quality, the better the flavor.
- Also, use a high-quality red drinking wine for the best flavor.
- Add the salt and pepper at the end of the simmering time and adjust according to taste.
- You can use pork chunks or pork shoulder to make pork sugo.
Sugo FAQs
Technically, sugo can refer to a few different elements in Italian cooking: the juices from meat or vegetables when cooking them down, or specific sauces. In the case of this tomato sugo recipe, it refers to a light Italian tomato sauce made with whole tomatoes.
Although marinara is a type of Italian tomato sauce, like tomato sugo, sugo is thicker and smoother than marinara sauce, which is slightly chunkier but also less thick. In essence, they are very similar but differences in texture set them apart.
Italian Recipes
- Spaghetti in One Pot
- Baked Ziti with Sausage
- Slow Cooker Lasagna
- Meatball Gravy
- Homemade Bolognese Sauce with Pappardelle Pasta
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📋 Recipe
Sugo Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Dutch Oven
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons Olive oil
- 1 small Onion yellow or white, chopped
- 3 cloves Garlic minced
- 28 oz. Whole peeled tomatoes canned (San Marzano style)
- ½ cup Red wine
- 1 pinch Red pepper flakes
- 3-4 leaves basil fresh, chopped
- Salt to taste
- Pepper to taste
- 16 oz. Bucatini pasta or pasta of choice
See our Cooking Conversions Chart for help converting measurements!
Instructions
- Heat 2 Tablespoons Olive oil in a large dutch oven over medium heat. Once hot, add 1 small Onion and 3 cloves Garlic. Saute for 3-5 minutes.2 Tablespoons Olive oil, 1 small Onion, 3 cloves Garlic
- Add 28 oz. Whole peeled tomatoes and stir to combine. If you prefer a less chunky texture, smash the tomatoes with the back of your spoon while cooking.28 oz. Whole peeled tomatoes
- Pour in ½ cup Red wine, and stir.½ cup Red wine
- Season with 1 pinch Red pepper flakes and 3-4 leaves basil, and stir again to combine.1 pinch Red pepper flakes, 3-4 leaves basil
- Let the sauce simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. The sauce can be left to simmer for longer for deeper flavor.
- If preparing 16 oz. Bucatini pasta for sugo, cook according to package directions near the end of the sauce cooking time. Taste, add Salt and Pepper as desired, and serve!Salt, Pepper, 16 oz. Bucatini pasta
Video
Notes
- Nutrition value does not include pasta.
- Canned, San Marzano style tomatoes work best for this recipe; other styles of canned tomato won’t work.
- If you want, you can also use fresh tomatoes, but for best results they should be cocktail campari tomatoes. Campari tomatoes are a variety of tomato that is slightly larger than grape and cherry tomatoes.
- If you use fresh tomatoes, cut them in half and cook them with the garlic and onions. Crush them as they begin to cook. You would need about 1 pound of fresh tomatoes to use fresh instead of canned.
- Use a high-quality olive oil for best results. Olive oil is a major component in sugo, so the better the quality, the better the flavor.
- Also use a high-quality red drinking wine for best flavor.
- Add the salt and pepper at the end of the simmering time and adjust according to taste.
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