My Granny’s Tomato Gravy Recipe

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This delicious Tomato Gravy recipe is the ultimate easy comfort food. It can be made in just a few minutes for a warm, yummy lunch or supper.

I had several favorite recipes while I was growing up, but this one was my all-time favorite. I could have eaten this every day and been a happy girl. To me, this was the ultimate comfort food.

My Granny was not very good at writing down recipes, so I didn’t even know a recipe for this existed until a few years ago, when I got it from one of my aunts. I had tried so hard to figure it out on my own, and while it was good, it never tasted like the original.

But now I finally have the recipe so I can make this comfort food staple in all its glory AND share it with you!

Ingredients in Tomato Gravy

• Tomato Sauce, Tomato Juice, or Stewed Tomatoes – My Granny used what she had on hand. You need either 1 pint or one can of sauce (if using). We prefer using tomato sauce when we don’t have home-canned tomatoes.
• Onions – You can use fresh or dried. When I was growing up we always used fresh onions that we fried first. I use dried onions in these pictures.
• Salt & Pepper – Just need these to taste.
• Chili Powder and Oregano – The spices I never knew she used! Seems like a rather odd combo but it works!
• Flour – This is to thicken if needed. If you are using tomato sauce, you will actually need to thin it down. The final result should be a fairly thin sauce.
• Spaghetti Noodles – You could use a different kind of noodles if that’s what you have on hand, but we love ours with classic spaghetti!

Step By Step Instructions for Making Tomato Gravy

Start by frying the onions if you are using fresh onions. Cook until transparent.

Place the tomato sauce in the saucepan with the onions along with the salt and pepper.

Add in the oregano and chili powder. You may also need to add in some water if you are using tomato sauce. The sauce should be fairly thin, not thick like spaghetti sauce.

Cook the spaghetti noodles until al dente.

Simmer the tomato gravy until heated through and bubbly. If you use tomato juice, you might want to use a little flour to thicken it slightly. For stewed tomatoes, my granny would just mash up but not blend. I guess the chunks were half the fun! You can do what you’d like.

Drain your pasta and serve the gravy over the noodles. That’s it!

Print

Tomato Gravy Recipe

Tomato Gravy is a super simple homemade comfort food that only takes a few minutes to make!

Course Main Course

Cuisine German

Keyword tomato gravy

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Servings 6 servings

Calories 34 kcal

Creator Merissa

Ingredients

• 1 can Tomato Sauce Tomato Juice, or Stewed Tomatoes
• 1 small Onion or dried onion
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 1/4 teaspoon Pepper
• 1 teaspoon Chili Powder
• 1 teaspoon Oregano
• Flour if needed to thicken
• Spaghetti Noodles

Instructions

1. Start by frying the onions if you are using fresh onions. Cook until transparent.
2. Place the tomato sauce in the saucepan with the onions along with the salt and pepper.
3. Add in the oregano and chili powder. You may also need to add in some water if you are using tomato sauce. The sauce should be fairly thin, not thick like spaghetti sauce.
4. Cook the spaghetti noodles until al dente.
5. Simmer the tomato gravy until heated through and bubbly. If you use tomato juice, you might want to use a little flour to thicken it slightly. For stewed tomatoes, my granny would just mash up but not blend. I guess the chunks were half the fun! You can do what you’d like.
6. Drain your pasta and serve the gravy over the noodles. That’s it!

Recipe Notes

Nutrition facts are for the sauce only per serving.

Nutrition Facts

Tomato Gravy Recipe

Amount Per Serving

Calories 34 Calories from Fat 4

% Daily Value*

Fat 0.4g1%

Saturated Fat 0.1g1%

Polyunsaturated Fat 0.2g

Monounsaturated Fat 0.1g

Sodium 737mg32%

Potassium 367mg10%

Carbohydrates 8g3%

Fiber 2g8%

Sugar 5g6%

Protein 2g4%

Vitamin A 596IU12%

Vitamin C 9mg11%

Calcium 26mg3%

Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Tips and Tricks for Making Tomato Gravy

• Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge.
• If you wanted to, you could can this sauce without the flour! Just follow a tomato sauce or spaghetti sauce canning recipe.
• This is yummy when served over meatballs. My Granny used to do that often and my mom just served it that way the other night. That’s her pic above. 🙂
• We always served this sauce very thin. You might have to experiment to decide how thin or thick your family likes it.
• I have made this without the chili powder and oregano before, and it tastes just fine. Just a super frugal option if you don’t have those on hand!

More Recipes From My Granny

• My Granny’s Peach Kuchen Recipe
• Easy and Soft Zucchini Cookies Recipe
• How to Make Your Own Homemade Fudgesicles

Merissa Alink

Merissa has been blogging about and living the simple and frugal life on Little House Living since 2009 and has internationally published 2 books on the topic. You can read about Merissa’s journey from penniless to freedom on the About Page. You can send her a message any time from the Contact Page.

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