Recipe video above. Take your meat sauce to the next level by using sausages instead of plain beef to make an incredible Sausage Ragu! Like Shredded Beef Ragu, cooking this sausage pasta sauce long and slow gives it time to develop deep, complex flavours. Complete your Italian feast with Garlic Bread, a garden salad with Italian Dressing and a beautiful Tiramisu.
Prep Time20 minutesmins
Cook Time2 hourshrs15 minutesmins
Course: Mains
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: italian sausage ragu, sausage meat sauce, Sausage Pasta
Servings: 5- 6 people
Calories: 818cal
Author: Nagi
Ingredients
Sausage ragu:
2tbspolive oil
1small onion, finely chopped
3garlic cloves, finely minced
1carrot, peeled and grated using a box grater (Note 1)
2celery stalks, grated using a box grater (Note 1)
Soffrito - Heat the oil in a large heavy based pot (with a lid) over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, carrot, celery and fennel seeds. Cook for 8 minutes until the carrot is soft and sweet, but not golden.
Cook sausage - Turn the heat up to high and add the sausage. Cook, breaking it up as you go, as best you can. It doesn't crumble as well as mince/ground meat but that's ok, we will break it up more later.
Deglaze - Once the meat is no longer pink (it doesn't really brown), add the tomato paste. Cook for 1 minute. Add the wine and let it simmer rapidly for 2 minutes until reduced by half, stirring regularly to scrape the base of the pot clean.
Slow cook #1 (1 hr) - Add the remaining ragu ingredients. Stir, bring to a simmer, put the lid on and place it in the oven for 1 hour.
Slow cook #2 (45 min) - Remove from the oven and use a potato masher to mash the meat finer. Put the lid back on, and return to the oven for 45 minutes. The sauce will be quite thick, it gets loosened when tossed with the pasta.
Salt - Taste and add more salt if desired. (Sausages vary in saltiness so I always start with less)
Pasta:
Cook pasta - Cook the pappardelle according to the packet instructions. Just before draining, scoop out 1 1/2 cups of the cooking water and set it aside.
Toss with sauce - Have the ragu pot on the stove over medium heat. Add the pasta into the pot along with 1/2 cup of the pasta cook water. Use two spatulas to toss the pasta until the ragu is tangled in the pasta strands and it is stained red from the sauce. Use extra pasta cooking water if needed to loosen it up.
Serve in pre-warmed bowls, garnish with parmesan and a pinch of parsley if desired. Eat immediately!
Notes
Servings - Sauce makes enough for 500g/1 lb pasta which, based on a standard serving of 80g/2.8oz dried pasta per person, is enough for 6 normal people or 5 heartier appetites!1. Grating - Box grater makes the pieces finer so they disappear better into the meat sauce. Try to use short strokes so you don't end up with long strands.2. Sausages - Using both pork and beef is my favourite combination because beef gives the meat sauce beefy flavour whereas pork meat is so soft, it makes the sauce melt-in-your-mouth in a way you will never achieve just using beef. You can also use just pork or just beef. Still so, so tasty!3. Pasta - Thick wide strands of pappardelle is made for hearty meat sauces like ragu though with a sauce this good, it's going to be great with any pasta! To make pasta for less than 5 people, use just put some sauce in a separate pan or pot on the stove and toss with the desired amount of pasta. In the video you see me make 2 servings.4. Making ahead - Ragu just gets better overnight! Cool thoroughly then refrigerate. Warm the ragu on a low stove so it's hot when you add the pasta for tossing. The ragu can be frozen for 3 months or kept in the fridge for 5 days. Once tossed with pasta, it will keep for 3 to 4 days but pastas are always best eaten freshly made!