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Instant Pot Italian Sunday Gravy with Sausage

by Darius Kazemi, May 19, 2019

This is a recipe for Italian-American "gravy" (red sauce with meat). It is modified from another recipe I found online. This is mostly here so I can remember it forever.

Ingredients

• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 lb. oxtail
• 1 lb. Italian sausage links
• 4 cloves garlic peeled and left whole
• 1 6oz can tomato paste
• 1 28oz can peeled Italian tomatoes
• 1 cup water
• Salt and pepper
• Fish sauce
• 1 tbsp sugar (adjust based on the flavor of your tomatoes)
• Parmesan for topping
• Fresh oregano or basil
• Pasta

Directions

1. Add olive oil to Instant Pot and hit "saute" button. Pat the oxtail dry with paper towels and add to the pot in a single layer. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and cook, turning occasionally, until browned, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
2. Next, add the sausages. Cook, turning occasionally, until browned, about 10 minutes. Transfer to the plate with the oxtail, leaving the fat behind in the Instant Pot.
3. Add the garlic to the Instant Pot and cook until golden, 1-2 minutes. Be careful not to let it burn. Set aside.
4. Add the tomato paste to the Instant Pot and cook for 1 minute. Pour in water and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the Instant Pot.
5. Mash up the peeled tomatoes with your hands and add them to the pot along with their liquid. Add fish sauce, pepper and sugar to taste.
6. Chop the garlic and add it to the tomato sauce.
7. Return the oxtail and sausages to the Instant Pot with any accumulated juices.
8. Place lid on Instant Pot and make sure the release valve is in the "sealing" position. Hit cancel to stop the "sautee" function and then press "manual" button and set timer for 30 minutes. It will take about 15 minutes for the pressure to build, then the countdown timer will begin. If the Instant Pot reads "burn", the sauce is too thick. Add another half cup of water and try again.
9. Allow the pressure to release naturally for 15-minutes then do a quick-release by flipping the release valve to “venting." Meanwhile, cook your pasta. Remove the lid and adjust your seasonings one more time.
10. Remove the oxtail and sausage. Strip the meat from the oxtail (it should fall off the bone) and cut it into bite sized pieces. Add the oxtail back to the sauce.
11. Add fresh oregano leaves and serve over your favorite pasta, topped with parmesan. Serve the sausage on the side of the pasta.