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I have really become a fan of pasta with gravy sauce. I wondered though if gravy is a regional thing or how it differs from sauce. So I googled it. What I learned is that the difference has nothing to do with regionality. The difference is in how pasta sauce has been translated into English. Our thought of gravy is making a roux. What I read from About Food is that it there is no difference between sauce and gravy. It actually developed as the Italian immigrants came over to the United States. So the bottom line is there really is not a difference. I would love to hear from those readers who have thoughts on this subject.
Ingredients:
- 1 package Spaghetti
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- handful of mushrooms, sliced
- 3 cloves of garlic, chopped
- 1 package of baby spinach
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp flour
- 2 cups of chicken stock
Directions:
In a pot of salted boiling water, add the pasta and cook until just ready. Since you will add it to gravy, it will cook some more. Drain and set aside. In a separate saute pan, heat the oil on medium heat. Add the onions and cook until soft – about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms a couple minutes into cooking the onions.
Add the garlic for 1 minute. Next, add in the spinach and cook until fully wilted.
In a separate pan, melt the butter and then add the flour. Mix well and cook for 1 more minute.
The final step for the gravy is to add the stock. Turn the heat up to medium high.
Stir well and cook until the sauce thickens – 6 – 8 minutes. Complete the dish by pouring the pasta into the gravy.
Mix well and serve. Enjoy!
Peter, what a comforting and delicious meal! This looks wonderful. Take care, Catherine
Thx Catherine.
I switched this recipe up a bit and it came out amazing! I’m doing a low carb/gluten free diet, so I swapped the white flour for buckwheat flour, this gave it a little bit of a dark color but increased the earthiness of the dish. I found this flour to be a little thicker so I whisked it. At the end, I added julienned squash pieces to the vegetable mixture and sautéed for another 2 minutes, added the gravy and cooked for another minute!
I love it. I hope my readers will see your comment and consider a similar change. I bought a Spiralizer and intend to try some of my pasta dishes substituting squash and zucchini.
I love this. But I discovered years ago that I’d keep my greens tender-crisp by just putting them into the colander and then draining to pasta over them; toss them in a bowl with a little EEVO, the other ingredients, salt and pepper, and you’re done. I also like this with sautéed scallops.
Being born, bred and raised in NYC, the “gravy vs. sauce” is a constant source of arguments and entertainment. We were always taught that “gravy” was the every day plain-Jane tomato sauce; whereas “sauce” had meat in it. But then-again, what do I know. I’m an Irishman.
🙂
Chris, I like your idea for keeping the greens tender. We all tend to over cook our vegetables especially in dishes that we add them to. I found the same thing in my research on the sauce vs. gravy. In either case, I have really come to love this form of pasta.
Peter, I’ve recently discovered that this actually works quite well with asparagus. I cut-up young tender asparagus (1 in. pieces) and then steam them for a couple of minutes, and then finish them off in the pan; just like the spinach. I’ve also use shallots, now and then, instead of onions. It must work. My wife called me today and asked if I could make that asparagus spaghetti thingie tonight for dinner.
Making this tomorrow night! Sounds very good, thank you!!
Let me know how it turns out.
My mother was from Reggio, Italy and this is the explanation of all the Italians I know no matter what part of Italy they were from Gravy vs. Marinara. If there is meat in the sauce it is gravy. If there is no meat like a marinara then it is sauce. Very simple.
Thank you so much for sharing. I totally smiled reading your insights. This is great!
I found your blog through the dailymeal.com–this looks delicious and fairly healthy. I may add zucchini, too.
Thanks for the idea!
The Daily Meal is a good resource for all things food. For those of you who have not found that site yet, check it out – http://www.thedailymeal.com/
I am so pleased you found me. The daily Meal is a great food resource.
This sounds yummy! Never had gravy on my spaghetti before, but I do love both 🙂
Happy Blogging!
Happy Valley Chow