Sausage Ragù

Ground or chopped sausage is browned and simmered with onions, garlic, tomatoes, and herbs to create a rich, savory ragu. The slow cooking allows the sausage to release its juices, infusing the sauce with deep, meaty flavor while the aromatics and tomatoes meld into a cohesive, hearty mixture.

As the ragu simmers, it thickens slightly and clings to pasta or other dishes, coating evenly. Gentle stirring ensures the flavors are balanced and fully integrated. The preparation emphasizes browning, slow simmering, and layering of seasonings to produce a robust, flavorful sausage ragu.

Print Recipe

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours hours

Total Time: 2 hours hours 20 minutes minutes

Pasta

Italian

Sausage

Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 hot Italian sausages with the skins removed
• ½ onion, finely diced
• 1 medium carrot, finely diced
• 1 celery stalk, finely diced
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 anchovies
• 1 Tbsp. tomato paste
• ¼ cup dry white wine
• ¼ cup chopped green olives
• 1 can diced tomatoes, pulsed
• ½ cup chicken stock
• 1 tsp. thyme
• 1 Tbsp. parsley
• 1 bay leaf
• ½ tsp. salt
• ½ tsp. black pepper
• ¼ tsp. sugar
• 8 oz. freshly cooked pasta

Instructions 

Don’t Sleep

Ragù

• Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.
• Press the skinned sausages flat to about ½ inch thick.
• When the oil begins to shimmer, brown the sausage patties on both sides.
• Once the sausage is browned, remove from the pot and set aside on a paper towel to drain.
• Reduce the heat under the pot to medium and add the onion, carrots, and celery (softrito).
• Sauté the sofrito until the vegetables soften and the onions are clear, about 10 minutes.
• Stir in garlic and sauté for a minute or two.
• Add the anchovies to the sofrito and stir until they break up.
• Add the tomato paste and stir into the sofrito until the paste begins to darken and a roux forms.
• Pour in the white wine and let it simmer 5-10 minutes until the alcohol cooks off.
• Chop the sausage to a fine mince and return to the pot
• Add the chopped olives and give a quick stir
• Put the diced tomatoes in a blender or food processor and give a quick pulse.
• Add the chopped tomatoes to the pot.
• Add enough chicken stock to cover the contents in the pot.
• Add thyme, parsley, bay leaf, salt, pepper, and sugar and combine.
• Bring the ragù to a boil and reduce to a simmer.
• Let the contents of the pot simmer about 1½ to 2 hours, until the liquid is almost cooked off.

Serve

• Place a couple of spoonfuls of ragù (per serving) into a hot skillet and warm the ragù.
• Add freshly cooked pasta to the pan, along with a ladle or two of pasta water.
• Toss the pasta in the ragù until the water cooks down.
• Remove pasta to the plates, then top with any remaining ragù.