Take your meat sauce to the next level by using sausages to make an incredible Sausage Ragu!
Complete your Italian feast withGarlic Breadand a garden salad withItalian Dressing.
Also, starting with the classicsoffrittohelps.
This Sausage Ragu meat sauce has rich, deep flavours from slow cooking and using sausages for the meat rather than regular mince.
Its a secret tip to create an incredible flavour base in dishes.
- just do not think I am dissing sausage sandwiches!
I am a regular at the weekend Bunnings sausage sizzle fundraisers.
This Sausage Ragu meat sauce has rich, deep flavours from slow cooking and using sausages for the meat rather than regular mince.
Ingredients in Sausage Ragu
Heres what you better make this Sausage Ragu.
Beef sausages provide the flavour whereas the pork provides the tenderness.
Pork is a much softer meat than beef!
you’ve got the option to use just either beef or pork.
If you use only beef, the meat in the sauce will not be as tender.
If you use only pork, the meat flavour is more mild.
Generally speaking, your friendly local butcher is probably the best source.
And he can tell you exactly what goes in his sausages!
For the rest of us, just squeeze the meat out.
It is not hard.
Fennel seeds*Secret ingredient!
- Sauteed in the soffrito, it adds a little je ne sais quoi into the sauce.
Only those with a very, very refined palette can pick that its in there!
Those gold bits is called fond and its free flavour!
This is a standard cooking technique youll see I use regularly for sauces and stews.
Substitutewith 0% alcohol wine or more chicken stock.
Chicken stock, low sodium This with canned tomato makes up the bulk of the liquid for the sauce.
I always used low sodium stock so I dont have to worry about sauces being too salty.
Tomato paste Just a smidge to boost the tomato flavour and help thicken the sauce.
Thyme and bay leaves The herbs for this pasta sauce.
Fresh is best but dried is fine too.
Chilli flakes(red pepper flakes) Optional, for a touch of warmth.
Having said that though, Id happily serve sausage ragu with any pasta short or long!
Dont let the vegetables go golden!
This step is key for a really beautiful flavour base for the sauce so dont rush it.
We will break it up finer later partway through cooking.
Ragu sauce Next, cook the tomato paste for 1 minute to remove the raw sour flavour.
Then reduce the wine by half to cook out the winey flavour which only takes a couple of minutes.
No need to worry about the base catching.
(See step 2 notes about how sausage meat doesnt crumble as well as mince/ground beef).
The meat is tender at this point so it doesnt take much effort.
I usually do about 8 to 10 mashing motions around the pot.
Once done, the sauce will be quite thick, like pictured above, with quite intense flavour.
Tossing pasta with sauce essential step!
Pasta cooking water Cook the pasta per the packet directions in a large pot of salted water.
The starch in the water is what helps the sauce cling to the pasta.
Prevent screen from sleeping
Pasta cooking water Add 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water.
This loosens up the thick pasta sauce so it coats the pasta strands.
The reason we use the pasta cooking water is because it has starch in it from the pasta.
Use an extra slosh of pasta cooking water if you better loosen things up.
Warmed bowl Divide the pasta between bowls.
I like to warm the pasta bowls beforehand (30 seconds in the microwave!)
to keep the pasta slippery and warm for longer.
Cold pasta = dry pasta!
Serve with a shower of freshly grated parmesan.
This is one for the weekend.
Serve withgarlic bread, rocket or baby spinach salad withbalsamic dressingand finish withtiramisu.
Reserve a seat for me at your table!!
Recipe improved in February 2024 with improved sauce flavour and consistency, writing tidied up, much improved video.
