Description
This Sausage Ragu with Pappardelle Pasta is a rich and hearty Italian-inspired dish featuring a slow-cooked blend of pork and beef sausages simmered in a flavorful tomato and red wine sauce. Served over wide pappardelle noodles and garnished with Parmesan cheese and fresh parsley, this comforting meal balances savory meatiness with aromatic vegetables and herbs for a truly satisfying dinner.
Ingredients
Scale
Sausage Ragu
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 1 carrot, peeled and grated
- 2 celery stalks, grated
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 350g / 12 oz pork sausages, meat removed from casings
- 350g / 12 oz beef sausages, meat removed from casings
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 cup pinot noir red wine (or 0% alcohol red wine or more chicken stock)
- 1 cup chicken stock/broth, low sodium
- 400g / 14 oz can crushed tomato
- 3 thyme sprigs (or 1/2 tsp dried thyme)
- 2 bay leaves (fresh preferred, else dried)
- 1/2 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp chili flakes (optional, for a hint of heat)
To Serve
- 500g / 1 lb pappardelle pasta (80g / 2.8 oz per serving)
- Parmesan or Parmigiano Reggiano, finely grated, for serving
- Parsley, finely chopped, optional garnish
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced) to prepare for slow cooking the ragu.
- Soffrito Preparation: Heat olive oil in a large heavy-based pot with a lid over medium heat. Add the finely chopped onion, minced garlic, grated carrot, grated celery, and fennel seeds. Cook gently for 8 minutes until the carrot softens and becomes sweet but does not brown.
- Cook Sausage: Increase the heat to high and add the sausage meat, breaking it up as much as possible. The sausage won’t crumble like ground meat but continue breaking it down to ensure even cooking.
- Deglaze and Add Tomato Paste: When the sausage is no longer pink, stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute. Pour in the red wine and let it simmer vigorously for 2 minutes until reduced by half, scraping the pot’s base to loosen any stuck bits.
- Slow Cook #1: Add the crushed tomatoes, chicken stock, thyme sprigs, bay leaves, salt, black pepper, and chili flakes if using. Stir well, bring the sauce to a gentle simmer, then cover with the lid and transfer the pot to the preheated oven to cook for 1 hour.
- Slow Cook #2 and Mash: Remove the pot from the oven. Use a potato masher to break up the meat into finer pieces. Cover the pot again and return it to the oven for another 45 minutes. The sauce will thicken considerably during this time.
- Adjust Seasoning: Remove from the oven, taste the ragu, and add more salt if needed, as sausage saltiness can vary.
- Cook Pasta: Meanwhile, cook the pappardelle pasta in boiling salted water following the package instructions until al dente. Before draining, reserve 1 1/2 cups of the pasta cooking water.
- Toss Pasta with Sauce: Return the ragu to medium heat on the stove. Add the drained pasta to the pot along with 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water. Toss the pasta and sauce together using two spatulas until the noodles are well coated and tinted red. Add more pasta water as needed to loosen the sauce to your desired consistency.
- Serve: Plate the pasta and ragu into warmed bowls. Garnish with finely grated Parmesan cheese and a sprinkle of chopped parsley if desired. Serve immediately for best flavor.
Notes
- Note 1: Grating the carrot and celery helps integrate these vegetables smoothly into the sauce, enhancing texture and sweetness without large chunks.
- Note 2: Removing sausage meat from casings allows it to cook evenly in the ragu and break up into smaller pieces.
- Note 3: Pappardelle is ideal for its wide ribbons that hold the chunky ragu well, but other pasta shapes like tagliatelle or fettuccine can also be used.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving (approximately 200g cooked pasta with ragu and toppings)
- Calories: 550 kcal
- Sugar: 8 g
- Sodium: 550 mg
- Fat: 22 g
- Saturated Fat: 8 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 55 g
- Fiber: 6 g
- Protein: 30 g
- Cholesterol: 75 mg
