It wasn’t every Sunday, but on those special Sundays growing up, the smell hits you sometimes before you’re out of bed. Aromatics sautéing, meats loudly searing, crunchy bread being sliced into with serrated knives: You knew it was going to be a Sunday Sauce Sunday. 

Known for a supremely long simmer, torturing folks with the smells until it’s dining time, Sunday sauce is one of the most fragrant sauces you can make. The pungent scent of seared meat permeates the tomatoes and makes a richer, deeper-colored sauce than your typical tomato-based offerings, like marinara.