Every family has at least one recipe that has been passed down and perfected through generations. It’s the whole family’s favorite meal…just the smell of it brings back memories, and the first bite always feels like home. For Stella, that dish is Nonna’s pasta sauce. Stella, her mom (Alexis), dad (Rob) and brother (Marcel) traveled to Italy to learn more about their heritage and meet their extended family. While they were there, Nonna made her famous sauce with Stella, and shared the secret recipe with us.
One of the best parts about having dinner over at Nonna + Papa’s house, (my husband Rob’s parents) is that Nonna always makes extra and packs up huge quantities of Tupperware with her amazing pasta sauce so you can re-live the enormous Italian meal you have just eaten for days after. She even throws in a box of your favorite pasta to make it even easier!
The recipe for this warm and hearty sauce has been shared for generations—Nonna’s mother brought it over from Italy and then passed it along. And now you can make Nonna’s pasta sauce at home with your little one.
Mangia mangia!
| Servings | Prep Time |
| 2-3 dinners | 15 minutes |
| Cook Time |
| 1.5 hours |
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Every family has at least one recipe that has been passed down and perfected through generations. It's the whole family's favorite meal...just the smell of it brings back memories, and the first bite always feels like home. For Stella (her mom Alexis is Tea's photo producer), that dish is her Nonna's Pasta Sauce. Stella, her mom (Alexis), dad (Rob) and brother (Marcel) traveled to Italy to learn more about their heritage and meet their extended family. While they were there, Nonna made her famous sauce with Stella. Now she shares the recipe with you, too!
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- 3 to 4 lb ripe (not squashy) tomatoes
- 2 15 oz cupes tomato sauce
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic
- 3 stalks celery (sliced)
- 1 onion (chopped into really small pieces)
- 1 medium carrot
- 1 lb hamburger
- 2-3 Italian sausages
- 1 tablespoon freshly chopped thyme
- 1 tablespoon freshly chopped oregano
- 2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley
- 1 tablespoon freshly chopped rosemary
- 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese
- 1 lb of your favorite pasta
- First, boil the tomatoes. Leave them in just-boiled water for a few minutes. Then take them out of the water. The skins should slip off easily. Dice the tomatoes-and the other vegetables too.
- Heat the olive oil in a 5 quart pan. Add the sliced garlic, celery, onion and carrot. Saute for about 4 minutes, stirring ever so often.
- Add your diced tomatoes and the tomato sauce. If your mom has some red wine handy, add a glass to the sauce. Add the oregano, basil, thyme and rosemary. Take a break and let the sauce simmer for 90 minutes. Then add in chopped parsley.
- If you're a meat eater, add the hamburger and sausages. Stir occasionally. Cook pasta in plenty of boiling water. Add salt just before the pasta. Cook it al dente (cooked but still firm).
- Stir the pasta with the sauce. Add freshly grated Parmesan cheese at the table. The last step? Tu mangi! (That's Italian for "You eat!"). Nonna says this sauce keeps in the fridge for a week!
Download our illustrated recipe here!
