• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Pudge Factor

A food blog with everyday recipes, step-by-step directions and photos, and detailed recipes.

  • Easter Recipes
  • Cinco de Mayo Recipes
  • Appetizers
  • All Recipes
  • Meet Chula and Pudge Factor®
  • Recipes by Category
  • Just Recipes
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Easter Recipes
  • Cinco de Mayo Recipes
  • Appetizers
  • All Recipes
  • Meet Chula and Pudge Factor®
  • Recipes by Category
  • Just Recipes
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Eggs and Cheese

    Sausage Ragù

    By Chula King · November 3, 2019 · Updated April 9, 2021 2 Comments

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Yummly
    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    Sausage Ragu

    Sausage Ragù is a tomato-based meat sauce made with Italian sausage. It’s amazing on pasta, as a base for lasagna and as leftovers. Sausage Ragù also freezes beautifully for an anytime meal straight from your freezer. If you really want to be creative, use it to make Italian Nachos!

    Sausage Ragu

    What is a Ragù

    Ragù, pronounced “ra’gu” is an Italian dish made with meat such as beef or pork and cooked with vegetables in a sauce. Generally, ragù is served with pasta. Alberto Alvisi created rage in the 18th century. Since then, several regional varieties have been developed. 

    While pronounced the same way, ragù and ragout are not the same. Ragout is French-style meat and vegetable stew that is slow-cooked.

    Ingredients for Sausage Ragù

    I used the following ingredients for this amazing sauce: Mild Italian sausage, onions, carrots, celery, garlic, parsley, whole canned tomatoes, tomato paste, dried thyme, salt and freshly ground black pepper. 

    Ingredients for Sausage RaguCooking the Meat and Vegetables

    I started by browning the sausage in a large skillet over medium heat. As the sausage was browning, I broke it up into small pieces.

    Cooking the Italian sausageWhen most of the pink was gone from the sausage, I added the onions, carrots, celery, garlic and chopped parsley. After stirring to combine everything, I let the sausage/vegetable mixture cook over medium-low heat for about 45 minutes. Generally, I drain the fat from the sausage before adding anything else. This time, I didn’t drain the sausage so that the grease would enhance the sautéing of the vegetables. After 45 minutes, the sausage was fully cooked and the vegetables were tender and had begun to caramelize. 

    Adding Parsley to Italian Sausage and VegetablesFinishing the Sausage Ragù

    While the sausage and vegetables were cooking, I poured the whole tomatoes into a bowl and squished them with my hands. 

    Squishing canned tomatoes with my handsOnce the sausage and vegetables were nicely cooked, I added the squished tomatoes, dried thyme, salt and pepper. Then, I stirred to combine everything. I continued cooking the mixture over medium-low heat for about 25 minutes. After 25 minutes, a lot of the excess liquid had evaporated and the sauce was thickened.

    Adding Tomatoes to Meat and Vegetables Next, I added a can of tomato paste that I had whisked together with a cup of water.

    Adding tomato paste whisked with water to ragsI let the ragù cook for another 15 minutes or so until it was nice and thick. Before serving the ragù I tasted it to see if I needed to add any additional seasonings. It was perfect for my taste!

    I served the ragù over Rotini pasta, topped with some freshly grated Parmesan cheese and minced parsley. I added a freshly made loaf of crusty French bread and a nice Merlot for an awesome meal. Yum! 

    Eating Sausage Ragu

    Sausage Ragù

    Sausage Ragù is a tomato-based meat sauce made with Italian sausage. It's amazing on pasta, as a base for lasagna and as leftovers. Sausage Ragù also freezes beautifully for an anytime meal straight from your freezer. If you really want to be creative, use it to make Italian Nachos!
    5 from 3 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: Italian
    Prep Time: 15 minutes
    Cook Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
    Servings: 6 servings
    Calories: 617.55kcal
    Author: Chula King

    Ingredients

    • 1 pound mild or sweet Italian sausage (See Tip 1)
    • 2 cups chopped onion (1 large onion)
    • ½ cup chopped carrots (1 large)
    • ½ cup chopped celery (1 to 2 stalks)
    • ¼ cup chopped parsley
    • 2 cloves garlic, minced
    • 28 ounce can whole tomatoes, preferably San Marzano
    • 6 ounce can tomato paste
    • 1 cup water
    • ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
    • ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
    • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
    • Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
    • Minced parsley for garnish (optional)
    • 16 ounces Rotini, prepared according to package directions (See Tip 2)

    Instructions

    • Crumble the sausage in a large skillet or Dutch oven set over medium heat. Cook, breaking up any large pieces, until most of the pink is gone, about 5 minutes.
    • Add onions, carrots, celery, parsley and garlic; stir to combine. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, until the vegetables are tender and are beginning to caramelize, 40 to 45 minutes.
    • Pour tomatoes into a bowl; break up with hands or a spoon. Add tomatoes and their juice, thyme, salt and pepper; stir to combine. Simmer, uncovered, until thickened, 20 to 25 minutes.
    • Whisk tomato paste with 1 cup of water. Add to ragù; stir to combine. Continue cooking uncovered over medium-low heat until mixture is thickened, 10 to 15 minutes. Correct seasonings.
    • Serve over pasta; top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and minced parsley. Yield: 6 servings. (See Tip 3)

    Chula's Expert Tips

    1. If your Italian sausage is in casings, use the tip of a small knife to slit open the casings. Remove the sausage from the casings and proceed as above.
    2. You can use whatever pasta you desire.
    3. Leftovers, if any can be refrigerated and reheated, or frozen for later use.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 617.55kcal | Carbohydrates: 74.42g | Protein: 23.78g | Fat: 25.26g | Saturated Fat: 8.82g | Cholesterol: 57.46mg | Sodium: 1184.02mg | Potassium: 1043.77mg | Fiber: 6.33g | Sugar: 11.57g | Vitamin A: 2617.48IU | Vitamin C: 28.5mg | Calcium: 105.11mg | Iron: 4.35mg
    Tried this recipe?Please leave a comment below and/or give this recipe a rating. On Instagram? Take a picture and tag @pudgefactor or #pudgefactor.

    More Eggs and Cheese

    • Ham and cheese quiche recipe.
      Ham and Cheese Quiche – Simple and Delicious
    • Fresh Tomato Tart
      Fresh Tomato Ricotta Tart in Puff Pastry (with Video)
    • Eggs Benedict on Tater Tot Waffles.
      Eggs Benedict on Tater Tot Waffles
    • Easy Holiday Queso Blanco Dip
      Easy Holiday Queso Blanco

    Filed Under: Meats, Pasta

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Eileen Patrick says

      November 07, 2019 at 4:21 pm

      I’m really enjoying your columns in the Tallahassee Democrat. I have a request if I may. My family were big fans of the Greek Church monthly Greek spagetti nights. Proceeds went to local charities. The cook (and holder of the recipe) is now 80-years-old and the dinners have been discontinued. Do you have a similar Greek recipe that you could share? I know the meat sauce contained a hint of cinnamon and the vegetarian version included squash. Any ideas?

    2. PudgeFactor says

      November 07, 2019 at 7:01 pm

      Eileen, I’m sorry but I don’t have a recipe for Greek spaghetti sauce. I know that I’ve seen recipes for spaghetti sauce that contain cinnamon, but haven’t tried any. I’m sorry that I can’t help.

      Chula

    Leave a Reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Photo of Chula - PudgeFactor Blogger

    Chula King is an award-winning photographer and videographer behind Pudge Factor. She’s a professor by day and foodie by night, showcasing her favorite tried and true recipes.

    More about me →

    • YouTube
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Mail

    Delicious Easter Recipes

    • Easter Basket Cookies
      Easter Basket Cookies – Easy and Adorable
    • Make-Ahead loaded potato casserole.
      Easy Make-Ahead Loaded Potato Casserole
    • Easy make ahead Spinach Gratin being served.
      Easy Make-Ahead Spinach Gratin
    • Old-Fashioned Ham Salad.
      Old-Fashioned Ham Salad – Quick and Easy
    • Broccoli Rice casserole.
      Make-Ahead Broccoli Rice Casserole
    • Classic Lemon Bars
      Classic Lemon Bars
    • Cheesy Mini Cornbread Waffles
      Cheesy Mini Cornbread Waffles
    • Easy potato waffles.
      Easy Potato Waffles

    See more Valentine Recipes→

    Sites Featured In

    Popular Recipes

    • Easy Peasy British Sausage Rolls
      Easy Peasy British Sausage Rolls
    • Chicken Schnitzel with Mustard Cream Sauce
      Chicken Schnitzel with Mustard Cream Sauce
    • Homemade Waffle Cones
      Homemade Waffle Cones
    • Twice Baked Potato Casserole
      Twice Baked Potato Casserole

    See more Recipes→

    Footer

    © 2012–2023 · Pudge Factor®, LLC · Privacy Policy · Disclaimer