Sugo con Pancetta Pasta Sauce

This sauce is an Italian take on a bacon tomato pasta sauce, and it's every bit as delicious as "an Italian take on a bacon tomato pasta sauce" sounds. Made from tomatoes, onion, pancetta (Italy’s version of unsmoked bacon), and a smidge of olive oil and herbs and spices, this is a meal in a jar. The pancetta’s fat adds luxurious mouthfeel and lends the flavor a savory balance to the sweetness of the vegetables. Getting this much flavor in a homemade sauce would take a full weekend of cooking at home—or just the few minutes it takes to warm up a jar.

The sauce is made by Trattoria Amerigo, a Michelin-starred restaurant that's been serving up classic pastas and sauces since 1934 in the hamlet of Savigno, about a half an hour southwest of Bologna. Perched in the foothills of the Apennine mountains, this the heartland for many of Italy's heartiest, richest meat sauces.