Italian sausage ragu is a classic dish from the rustic kitchens of Italy. It starts with a traditional soffritto - a mix of onion, celery, and carrot cooked in oil. Then, pork sausage and tomato passata are added to create a rich sauce. This sauce is somewhat similar to the well-known Bolognese, but it uses sausage instead of ground meat and generally takes less time to make.
You can pair this hearty sauce with your preferred type of pasta, like rigatoni, which holds onto the sauce well. It also complements fresh pasta such as Tagliatelle or Fettuccine beautifully.
Italian sausage ragu is delicious and full of flavor, making it perfect for layering on baked pasta dishes like lasagna or cannelloni. You can also enjoy it in other ways, such as on polenta, bruschetta, or inside a Piadina wrap.
Feel free to experiment with different types of Italian sausage—whether it's fennel, ham, or chili—to vary the flavor and aroma of the sauce. If you enjoy meaty sauces, give this simple, satisfying Italian sausage ragu a try. It's sure to win you over!
Ingredients
Prep Time: 15 Min | Cook Time: 1 Hour | Servings: 6
- 500 g (1.1 pound) of Italian mild sausage
- 1 small carrot
- 1 celery stalk
- 1 small onion
- 1 bay leaf
- 300 g (1 ¼ cup) of tomato passata or crashed peeled tomato
- 100 ml (½ cup) of dry red wine
- 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
- salt, to taste
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste (optional)
Instructions
Step 1) - To prepare the Italian sausage ragu recipe, start by removing the sausages from their casings. Then cut them into small pieces and mash them well with a fork.
Step 2) - Next, prepare the soffritto. Chop the celery, carrot and onion. Depending on your taste, you can cut them into small cubes with a knife or you can use a blender to chop them even more.
Heat the oil in a saucepan. Add the chopped vegetables and a bay leaf. Wilt them slowly over low heat for a few minutes and salt them lightly.
Step 3) - Now add the sausage. Cook over a high heat, stirring constantly, for about a minute.
Step 4) - Add the red wine. When the alcohol has evaporated, reduce the flame to low. Finally, add the tomato. Stir and season to taste with salt and pepper.
NOTE: Whether or not to add salt and pepper depends on the type of sausage you are using. Of course, if the sausage is very salty, it is not necessary to add flavour.
Step 5) - Finish cooking the ragu over a low heat for about 45 minutes. If the sausage ragu seems too dry or you prefer it less thick, add a cup of vegetable broth or even just hot water.
At the end of the cooking time, the sausage ragout is ready. Use it as you like. Add it to the pasta of your choice or to top a delicious bruschetta! Buon Appetito!
YOU MUST ALSO TRY:
- Bolognese Sauce
- White Bolognese Sauce (Ragu Bianco)
- Creamy Pumpkin Tagliatelle with Sausage and Mushrooms
- Sausage and Broccoli Pasta
- Italian Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms
- Stuffed Paccheri with Sausage and Mushrooms
Storage
You can store the sausage ragu in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Keep it in a tightly closed airtight container and it will stay as good as freshly made.
Alternatively, you can also put it in jars and store it in the freezer for a couple of months.
How to Serve
The most common use of Italian sausage ragu is as a pasta sauce.
I have used, for example, this very tasty sauce to season classic homemade egg fettuccine.
Rigatoni, fusilli and even thick spaghetti or bucatini are also very suitable for sausage ragout.
Alternatively, you can use sausage sauce to make baked pasta, such as lasagna or cannelloni, as well. The combination of sausage ragu and bechamel sauce is great in baked dishes.
But in addition to seasoning pasta, sausage ragout is also great as a main dish. Pair it with steaming polenta or to stuff a piadina. Or still on crostoni of homemade bread to make a hearty bruschetta.
Tips
Fresh vs. Cured Sausage
In Italy, when we talk about "salsiccia," we usually mean a fresh sausage that needs to be cooked. In some southern regions, "salsiccia" can also refer to a cured sausage, similar to a small salami, called "salsiccia secca," which is eaten raw. This type is not good for making ragu.
Types of Sausage for Ragu
For this recipe, we are only talking about fresh, soft sausage. Sausage is mostly made from pork, but there are other kinds too, like chicken, turkey, veal, or mixed meats. There are many types of fresh sausage in Italy, each with its unique name and style. For example, there's the fine-grained Norcia ham sausage, the coarse-grained Neapolitan sausage, the Luganega from northern Italy, the Salamelle from Mantua, and the Zazzicchia from Lazio.
Variations in Sausage
Besides the meat used, sausages differ in how finely they are ground. Some are coarse, while others are fine, and they can have varying amounts of fat. The flavor can also vary. Classic pork sausage usually just has salt and a little pepper, but others might have fennel seeds or, especially in southern Italy, red hot chili pepper.
Preparing Sausage for Ragu
You can use any type of fresh sausage for ragu. The key is to mash and crumble it well with a fork so it blends nicely with the tomato and other ingredients. Depending on the sausage you use, your ragu will have a different aroma and flavor.
Variations
Mild the Flavor
If you want the sauce to have a milder taste, you can make a meat and sausage ragout. By swapping out one-third of the sausage for ground pork, the sauce will have a gentler flavor.
Adapting the Recipe
There are many ways to make this recipe your own. For instance, you can add other ingredients like peas or mushrooms. Using sweet sausage? You can spice things up by adding chili pepper.
Making the Sauce Creamier
To give the sauce a creamier texture, add a small glass of milk while cooking, similar to how you would with ragu alla Bolognese. This addition will make the sauce smoother and help balance any sourness from the tomatoes.
Enhancing Tomato Color
If you want the sauce to have a brighter tomato color, add a tablespoon of tomato paste halfway through the cooking process.
Curiosities
Salsiccia is a type of sausage made from meat, originating in Italy and enjoyed worldwide.
The history of salsiccia in Italy goes back a long time. The first known records of it come from the Lucanians, who lived in what is now called Basilicata, around the 5th century B.C. They used pork casings to stuff a mixture of diced or ground lean and fatty meats, along with spices and salt. This method was initially a way to preserve meat.
The name "salsiccia" comes from the Latin word "salsicia," which combines "salsus" (meaning "salty") and "insicia" (meaning "stuffed"). This combination reflects the sausage's salty and stuffed nature.
Recipe Card
Italian Sausage Ragu Recipe
Ingredients
- 500 g Italian mild sausage - 1.1 pound
- 1 small carrot
- 1 celery stalk
- 1 small onion
- 1 bay leaf
- 300 g tomato passata or crashed peeled tomato - 1 ¼ cup
- 100 ml dry red wine - ½ cup
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- salt - to taste
- black pepper - to taste (optional)
Instructions
- To prepare the Italian sausage ragu recipe, start by removing the sausages from their casings. Then cut them into small pieces and mash them well with a fork.
- Next, prepare the soffritto. Chop the celery, carrot and onion. Depending on your taste, you can cut them into small cubes with a knife or you can use a blender to chop them even more.
- Heat the oil in a saucepan. Add the chopped vegetables and a bay leaf. Wilt them slowly over low heat for a few minutes and salt them lightly.
- Now add the sausage. Cook over a high heat, stirring constantly, for about a minute.
- Add the red wine. When the alcohol has evaporated, reduce the flame to low. Finally, add the tomato. Stir and season to taste with salt and pepper.
- NOTE: Whether or not to add salt and pepper depends on the type of sausage you are using. Of course, if the sausage is very salty, it is not necessary to add flavour.
- Finish cooking the ragu over a low heat for about 45 minutes. If the sausage ragu seems too dry or you prefer it less thick, add a cup of vegetable broth or even just hot water.
- At the end of the cooking time, the sausage ragout is ready. Use it as you like. Add it to the pasta of your choice or to top a delicious bruschetta! Buon Appetito!
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