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 with aromatic soffrito, wine, and tomatoes to perfection. Served with wide pappardelle noodles and finished with freshly grated Parmesan and parsley, it’s an ideal comforting meal for family gatherings or special occasions.
Ingredients
Scale
Ragu Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 1 carrot, peeled and grated using a box grater
- 2 celery stalks, grated using a box grater
- 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 extra 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 or dried)
- 1/2 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp chilli flakes (optional, for a hint of heat)
Pasta & Garnish
- 500g / 1 lb pappardelle pasta (or other pasta, approx. 80g / 2.8 oz per serving)
- Parmesan or parmigiano reggiano, finely grated, for serving
- Parsley, finely chopped, optional garnish (a pinch)
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 finely chopped onion, minced garlic, grated carrot, celery, and fennel seeds. Cook gently for about 8 minutes until the carrot softens and sweetness develops without browning.
- Cook Sausages: Increase the heat to high, add the sausage meat removed from casings. Cook while breaking it up as much as possible; the sausage won’t crumble fully but that’s intentional as it will be mashed later.
- Deglaze and Reduce: Once sausage meat is no longer pink, stir in tomato paste and cook for 1 minute to develop flavor. Pour in the red wine and allow it to simmer rapidly for 2 minutes, reducing by half while scraping the pot’s base to loosen browned bits.
- Slow Cook Part 1: Add remaining ingredients—chicken stock, crushed tomatoes, thyme, bay leaves, salt, black pepper, and optional chilli flakes. Stir to combine, bring to a simmer, cover with lid, and place pot in the preheated oven for 1 hour to let flavors meld.
- Slow Cook Part 2: Remove pot from oven, use a potato masher to break down the sausage meat finer for a smoother texture. Return lid and place back in the oven for an additional 45 minutes to thicken and deepen the sauce.
- Season to Taste: After removing from oven, taste and adjust seasoning with additional salt if necessary, considering sausage saltiness varies.
- Cook Pasta: Meanwhile, cook the pappardelle pasta according to package instructions until al dente. Drain well.
- Combine and Serve: Toss the cooked pasta with a portion of the ragu to loosen the sauce. Plate the pasta, spoon over extra ragu, and garnish with finely grated Parmesan and optional fresh parsley. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Note 1: Grating carrot and celery helps them integrate smoothly into the sauce.
- Note 2: Removing sausage meat from casings ensures better texture and even cooking.
- Note 3: Pappardelle is ideal for holding the thick ragu, but other wide pasta like tagliatelle can be substituted.
- This ragu is excellent when prepared a day ahead; flavors deepen after resting.
- Use low sodium stock to control overall saltiness.
