Sausage Ragù

5 from 3 votes

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!

Prep Time15

Cook Time1 25

Total Time1 40

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: servings

Calories: 617.55kcal

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)

Notes

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.
You can use whatever pasta you desire.
Leftovers, if any can be refrigerated and reheated, or frozen for later use.

Nutrition