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Home Collections Sunday Supper

Italian Sausage Ragu Sauce

By:Nagi
Published:3 Feb '16Updated:18 Mar '19
118 Comments
Recipe v Video v

Take your basic meat sauce to the next level with the addition of Italian sausage mince to create an incredible Sausage Ragu Sauce! This pasta is easy, rich and indulgent, and you’d pay serious money for this at posh Italian restaurants. 

Like Shredded Beef Ragu, cooking this sausage pasta sauce long and slow gives it time to develop deep, complex flavours. Indulge in a full Italian banquet by adding a side of Garlic Bread and a garden salad with Italian Dressing!

A bowl of Italian Sausage & Beef Ragu Sauce topped with grated parmesan

Italian Sausage Ragu Sauce

I know I shared a Salmon Alfredo Pasta last week, but patience has never been my strongest virtue.

Last week I went to an incredible Italian butcher/deli/bistro called Pinos Dolce Vita Fine Foods in Kogarah (Sydney, Australia). My eyes lit up at the sight of the cured meats cool room with rows and rows of hanging prosciuttos, the selection of real-deal-Italian sausages, beautiful handmade pastas, the bowls piled high with buffalo mozzarella, shelves jammed with the best of Italian produce.

It took great restraint not to purchase everything I got overly excited about, but as I pleadingly explained to the shop assistant, I’d just done my weekly grocery shop and my refrigerator was chock-full already!

So I “only” got 4 different types of Italian sausages. Then even though I had a cooking / shooting schedule all mapped out, it went straight out the window so I could make something using those sausages.

Enter: Italian Sausage Ragu Sauce.

Italian Sausage & Beef Ragu

A pot of Sausage & Beef Ragu Sauce

This Sausage Ragu gets its incredible flavour from the Italian sausages – and cooking it long and slow

Cooked long and slow, starting with the classic soffritto which might sound fancy but it just refers to sautéing onions, garlic, celery and carrots over low heat to make them beautifully sweet.  It’s a secret tip to create an incredible base. 🙂

This ragu is rich with extra flavour owing to the addition of the Italian sausages. And the MUST DO step to serve this up is tossing the pasta with the sauce in some of the pasta cooking water!! It’s an absolute essential, called emulsification, it makes the pasta suck up the flavour and the sauce glossy so it sticks to every strand of pasta. I rant and rave about it in all my pasta recipes so I’ll save you the pain of hearing about it again!

Oh wait, I think I just did. Sorry! 😉

Pasta with Italian Sausage & Beef Ragu Sauce

See how the pasta is a bit red? That’s because it sucked up flavour while it was being tossed with the sauce. And you see how the pasta has sauce on it? Especially for thick pastas like pappardelle (which is the pasta pictured), if you don’t do the extra step of tossing the pasta with the sauce, the sauce doesn’t stick to the pasta so you end up with big mouthfuls of pasta with not much meat sauce.

Fork lifting papardelle with Italian Sausage & Beef Ragu Sauce

In fact, I got SO excited about this ragu, I made it twice and the 2nd time I filmed it to make a video so you can see how easy this is to make!

Oh – did I explain what ragu is? It’s really spaghetti bolognaise – done right, the real authentic Italian way. 🙂 Cooked long and slow, it’s rich and luscious, a big step up from the midweek spaghetti bolognaise we’re all probably very familiar with. And I am not turning my nose up at midweek bolognaise, not at all!

This is one for the weekend. For lazy Sundays. 🙂

This Sausage Ragu recipe makes a lot. Serves 8, maybe even 10. I just didn’t feel it was worth making less! – Nagi x


More Slow Cooked Italian Goodness

  • Shredded Beef Ragu

  • Spaghetti Bolognese – slow cook it for the ultimate experience!

  • Lasagna – with slow cooked meat sauce

Papardelle with Italian Sausage & Beef Ragu

 WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT

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Italian Sausage & Beef Ragu Sauce

Italian Sausage & Beef Ragu

Author: Nagi | RecipeTin Eats
Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 3 hrs
Total: 3 hrs 15 mins
Dinner, Pasta
Italian
5 from 29 votes
Servings8 -10
Tap or hover to scale
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Recipe video above. Cooked long and slow but super easy, this is a pasta done seriously right, the real proper Italian way with incredible extra richness and flavour from the Italian sausages. Make this on the stove or in your slow cooker! 

Ingredients

Ragu

  • 3 tbsp olive oil , separated
  • 1 lb / 500g ground beef (mince) (not lean)
  • 0.8 lb / 400g Italian pork sausages , meat removed from casings (Note 1)
  • 3 garlic cloves , minced
  • 1 large onion , finely chopped (brown or white) (Note 2)
  • 1 carrot , finely chopped or shredded (Note 2)
  • 1 large stalk of celery , finely chopped (Note 2)
  • 1 tsp each dried thyme leaves and dried rosemary
  • 1 cup red wine (Note 3)
  • 2 cups beef broth / stock
  • 3 tbsp tomato paste
  • 28 oz / 800 g can crushed tomatoes (Note 4)
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tsp salt
  • Black pepper

To serve (serves 3) (Note 5)

  • 8 oz / 250 g pasta of choice (I used pappardelle, the wide pasta pictured in the photos)
  • Parmigiano-Reggiano , freshly grated

Instructions

  • Heat 1 1/2 tbsp oil over high heat in a large heavy based pot. Add the beef and sausage. Cook, breaking it up as you go, until browned. Use a slotted spoon to remove into a bowl.
  • Heat remaining 1 1/2 tbsp oil in the pot and reduce heat to medium low. Add garlic, onion, carrot and celery. Saute gently for 8 to 10 minutes, until the onion is translucent.
  • Add cooked meat back into the pot along with the remaining Ragu ingredients. Turn heat up and mix to combine. Bring to simmer, then turn the heat down so it is bubbling gently (refer to the video, at 50 seconds). Cover and cook for 2 1/2 hours, stirring once or twice.
  • Remove from heat and remove the lid. The amount of liquid reduces as it cools, you will be surprised, so don't be tempted to return it to the stove without the lid! 🙂
  • SLOW COOKER: At step 3, transfer everything into a slow cooker and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours, and cook the last 30 minutes or so with the lid off the reduce.

To Serve

  • Bring a very large pot of salted water to a rapid boil. Add pasta and cook until just al dente - cooked but still quite firm (I usually go for 2 minutes less than cook time per packet).
  • Meanwhile, heat a large, deep fry pan over medium high heat. Add about 2 1/2 cups of ragu, bring to simmer.
  • Use tongs to transfer pasta straight from the pot to the fry pan PLUS 1/2 cup of pasta cooking water.
  • Toss gently (I use 2 wooden spatulas) for 1 minute or until the sauce reduces, by which time the sauce will thicken, be glossy, and stick to the pasta.
  • Serve immediately, garnished with Parmigiano-Reggiano if using!

Recipe Notes:

1. The Italian pork sausages are key to the incredible flavour and richness in this recipe. So please don't think of substituting this with the cheap BBQ sausages (the ones that are an even pink colour), please make sure you get chunky Italian sausages. By "chunky", I mean the sausages where you can see chunks of white fat in the sausages so you know it's made with real meat, not with fillers (like the cheap sausages are).
Italian sausages are loaded with fab seasonings. The classic usually has fennel in it, but you can use any Italian sausages you want. I used Chili & Garlic ones once and they were fab!
See the sausages I use in the video.
2. The onion, carrot and celery is a holy trinity referred to as Soffitto. Use a 2:1:1 ratio i.e. The amount of carrots and celery should each be 1/2 the amount of onion. Or put another way, when you combine the carrots and celery, it should be about the same amount as the onion.
3. Wine - Use a good value full bodied red wine, like cabaret sauvignon or merlot. Shiraz is ok too. No need to use expensive wine for slow cooked recipes like this (and the New York Times agrees). Use discount end of bin specials (I get mine from Dan Murphey's). Pinots not suitable, too light.
99.5% of the alcohol in the red wine evaporates during cooking. The sauce does not taste winey at all, it completely transforms.
If you can't consume alcohol, you can substitute with non alcoholic red wine or (next best substitute) more beef stock.
4. Sugar - Better quality (i.e.: more expensive) canned tomatoes tend to be sweeter. So if you feel the sauce is a bit sour, just add a bit of sugar (white or brown), 1 tsp at a time until the sauce is to your taste.
5. Amount of pasta to use - As a rule of thumb: 2.5oz/80g dried pasta per person + 3/4 cup of ragu per person. To make this for 1 to 3 people, use 1/2 cup of pasta cooking water, for 4 to 5 people, use 3/4 cup.
6. Servings  / storage- This makes loads. 🙂 Enough for 8 to 10 people, and it freezes brilliantly. Once it cools, it would also be fabulous to use for lasagna!
7. Nutrition for ragu sauce only (excludes pasta)

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 361cal (18%)Carbohydrates: 11g (4%)Protein: 24g (48%)Fat: 21g (32%)Saturated Fat: 6g (38%)Cholesterol: 74mg (25%)Sodium: 950mg (41%)Potassium: 914mg (26%)Fiber: 2g (8%)Sugar: 6g (7%)Vitamin A: 1640IU (33%)Vitamin C: 12.9mg (16%)Calcium: 58mg (6%)Iron: 3.7mg (21%)
Keywords: Italian beef sausage ragu
Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @RecipeTinEats.

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118 Comments

  1. Rachel says

    January 28, 2023 at 8:33 pm

    5 stars
    Such great flavour and worth the time, New fave way for spag bol!! Even used a pinot! Did add a couple of extra glugs (quite a few!) and it was perfect, You do need to drain the fat from it – sausages after all,.. Family loved it, Thanks Nagi for another great recipe!

    Reply
  2. Ann says

    December 30, 2021 at 8:54 am

    5 stars
    I made this without the beef as we don’t eat beef and it turned out amazing. This is going in to my recipe rotation!

    Reply
  3. John E McLaughlin says

    October 28, 2021 at 4:13 am

    I am making this right now.
    Oct 27, 2021. I am using a dutch oven method approach for this. I love set and forget dishes! My house smells So yummy and I cannot wait to feed my friends this on Sat. I’m am cooking the 14 serving recipe and I will portion and share. Sharing is my way kof bragging! Thank you for the great recipe!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      October 28, 2021 at 8:16 am

      I am so glad you are enjoying cooking it, John!! N x

      Reply
  4. pam knowles says

    October 19, 2021 at 7:36 am

    I’ve made so many of your recipes and they’re all so good! Keep them coming!

    Reply
  5. diane levie says

    March 18, 2021 at 7:47 am

    love the videos i,m visual love it everything i tried was great thank you

    Reply
  6. Tracy Elliot says

    January 30, 2021 at 5:26 pm

    5 stars
    This is a cracking recipe Nagi, thank you! The only changes I made were using fresh rosemary and thyme (and I have a bay tree, so the bay leaves were fresh too. AND I put two anchovies in with the sofrito for that extra umami hit.
    You’re a prize Nagi and I’m very grateful for your website as a resource xx

    Reply
  7. Linds says

    January 18, 2021 at 9:00 am

    I really wish you had added to remove fat from the pan after cooking meat. You said to use a slotted spoon so I assume we were leaving

    Now I got some thin oily ragu
    I think it would be delicious otherwise

    Reply
    • Noreen B says

      October 2, 2021 at 11:41 am

      I agree with the comment about not mentioning the pot needed to be cleaned after cooking the meat. I feel this needs to be added to the directions

      Reply
      • John McLaughlin says

        October 27, 2021 at 4:59 am

        Or you can cool and remove the excess fat. Maybe prepare 1 day ahead? That’s what I’m going to do.

        Reply
  8. Kim says

    December 25, 2020 at 11:31 am

    5 stars
    You are amazing. Every recipe I tried from your site was delicious! Thank you for helping me become a great cook.
    THANK YOU

    Reply
  9. Rebecca Tapper says

    December 5, 2020 at 1:33 pm

    Hi, sorry if you have already answered my following question but I can’t find an answer in the comments or recipe description….I can see that the recipe says the mince should not be lean. Is there a reason why? Could lean beef mince be used? I used lean in your spaghetti bolognese and one pot bolognese and both were great.

    Reply
  10. Sandy Dhaliwal says

    October 29, 2020 at 4:48 am

    5 stars
    Great recipe! Tastes soooo good. Thanks Nagi!

    Reply
  11. Dhruve Shah says

    September 21, 2020 at 5:51 am

    5 stars
    Made this a couple of times now, and it never fails to disappoint! We swapped out the ground beef for a sweeter Italian sausage and it enhanced the flavours ever so slightly. I’m delighted a have a couple of portions left in the freezer too!

    Also thanks so much for taking the time to add all the little extra notes to this and all your other recipes. They are very much appreciated and make cooking new cuisine even more enjoyable!

    Reply
  12. Michaela says

    July 31, 2020 at 9:29 am

    5 stars
    Made this last night and it was divine! I added a few extra veggies to make it a bit healthier for the family. I used to make bolognaise with 1/2 beef mince and 1/2 pork mince, but will now switch out the pork mince for pork and fennel sausages as it took it to the next level. Thanks Nagi

    Reply
  13. Gilda Anderson says

    June 11, 2020 at 1:53 pm

    5 stars
    I have just made this for tomorrow nights dinner because it’s always twice as nice the following day. I just did a little quality control test….
    OMG, this is absolutely divine.
    Another masterpiece from you kitchen Nagi
    Itadakimasu.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      June 12, 2020 at 5:23 pm

      Yes I totally agree here!!! N x

      Reply
  14. Cheryl says

    May 9, 2020 at 7:18 pm

    5 stars
    Another fab recipe! Love this, simple to make with delicious flavours.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      May 11, 2020 at 12:04 pm

      Thanks so much Cheryl! N x

      Reply
  15. Michelle Jenkins says

    February 3, 2020 at 5:00 pm

    5 stars
    Nagi, I am cooking the ragu at the moment and it smells divine. I was able to get proper thick Italian ssausages from my butcher, I got 500grms grass feed beef and Maggi Beers beef stock was on sale so I purchased that. I used Ardmona crushed tin tomatoes to support Aussie farmers. I am making this Ragu as a test for later in the year when we go to Stadbroke Island for a few days and I am the designated cook for my friends. I asume the ragu will freeze fine. I love how you explain the cooking terms and the added information you provide. Not only am I apreciating your recipes but I learning so much about cooking at the same time.

    Reply
  16. Uyen Nguyen says

    October 27, 2019 at 2:06 am

    I love all of your recipes.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      October 27, 2019 at 4:38 pm

      Thanks so much Uyen ❤️

      Reply
  17. Michael says

    August 14, 2019 at 11:52 am

    I tried to join your email list but never received your email to confirm my email address (same as declared in this comment) 😉

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      August 15, 2019 at 9:36 pm

      Hi Michael, Try your junk mail folder – if you’re still having issues, send me a private email and I’l look into it! – N x

      Reply
  18. Tmiller says

    February 9, 2019 at 12:37 pm

    5 stars
    Hi Nagi. Having friends for dinner tomorrow night. Made this today and my hubby and I did a trial run…..AMAZING. Could I put this together 30 min before dinner and place in oven to keep warn? If so, what temp? I like to have most of the dinner ready so I can enjoy the company. I’m a HUGH fan. Thanks

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      February 11, 2019 at 12:23 pm

      Hi Tracey, yes definitely. Make ahead and place in a pot with the lid on to keep it warm. I’d put it in a low oven on 100C/210F. – N x

      Reply
  19. Jean Choi says

    January 11, 2019 at 10:45 am

    Can I use all sausage meat?

    Reply
  20. Fiona Nelson says

    December 30, 2018 at 1:00 am

    5 stars
    I have made this recipe three times; my son absolutely loves it and he can can be fussy. Since making it I no longer use sauce in a jar. It is our new go to pasta dish. Delish!!

    Reply
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