Take your meat sauce to the next level by using sausages to make an incredible Sausage Ragu! Like Shredded Beef Ragu, cooking this sausage pasta sauce long and slow gives it time to develop deep, complex flavours. Complete your Italian feast with Garlic Bread and a garden salad with Italian Dressing.
Sausage Ragu Sauce
Butchers put a lot of time and effort into packing flavour and juiciness into sausages. So I almost see it as my duty to show you how we can get so much more out of sausages than throwing on the barbie* or the usual Bangers and Mash!
Enter – Sausage Ragu. This meat sauce gets a massive flavour boost by using sausage meat rather than plain beef mince, as well as cooking it long and slow which gives the sauce time to develop flavour as well as making the meat melt-in-your-mouth tender.
Also, starting with the classic soffritto helps. 🙂 Which might sound fancy but it just refers to sautéing onions, garlic, celery and carrots over low heat to make them beautifully sweet. It’s a secret tip to create an incredible flavour base in dishes.
* Please do not think I am dissing sausage sandwiches! I am a regular at the weekend Bunnings sausage sizzle fundraisers. 🙂
Ingredients in Sausage Ragu
Here’s what you need to make this Sausage Ragu. No fancy ingredients!
The sausages
Beef + pork – I like to use a combination of both pork and beef sausages for the perfect balance of flavour and soft texture. Beef sausages provide the flavour whereas the pork provides the tenderness. Pork is a much softer meat than beef!
You can use just either beef or pork. If you use only meat, the meat in the sauce will not be as tender. If you use only pork, the meat flavour is more mild. Both are still rippingly delicious! 🙂
Sausage quality – Whichever you use, make sure you use good sausages made with more meat and less fillers. Either look at the ingredients list (I aim for 85%+ meat) or look at the sausage – fat specks means better meat, uniform pink colour indicates lots of fillers like the sausages used for fundraiser sausage sizzles (“BBQ sausages”). They can be as low as 55% meat (the rest is flour, maize and non meat things), and often a mix of beef and chicken.
Generally speaking, your friendly local butcher is probably the best source. And he can tell you exactly what goes in his sausages! 🙂
Sausage not in casings – In the US it is common to find sausage meat sold like mince/ground beef, not inside the sausage casings. Lucky you! For the rest of us, just squeeze the meat out. It is not hard.
Other ingredients
Here are the other ingredients for the ragu sauce:
Onion, garlic, carrot and celery – These are the vegetables for the soffrito which is cooked over low heat to make them soften and sweeten which then forms the flavour base for the sauce. This is a classic cooking technique used in cuisines all over the world, from Italian to Mediterranean to Cajun to South American!
Fennel seeds *Secret ingredient!* – Sautéed in the soffrito, it adds a little je ne sais quoi into the sauce. Only those with a very, very refined palette can pick that it’s in there!
Wine – Red wine adds depth of flavour to the sauce and is also what we use to deglaze the pot. this refers to the method of using a liquid to dissolve gold bits stuck on the base of a cooking vessel (in this case, the sausage meat) into a sauce. Those “gold bits” is called “fond” and it’s free flavour! This is a standard cooking technique you’ll see I use regularly for sauces and stews.
Substitute with 0% alcohol wine or more chicken stock.
Chicken stock, low sodium – This with canned tomato makes up the bulk of the liquid for the sauce. I use chicken rather than beef stock because it’s a milder flavour so you can taste the meat flavour better. I always used low sodium stock so I don’t have to worry about sauces being too salty.
Tomato paste – Just a smidge to boost the tomato flavour and help thicken the sauce.
Thyme and bay leaves – The herbs for this pasta sauce. Fresh is best but dried is fine too.
Chilli flakes (red pepper flakes) – Optional, for a touch of warmth.
Pappardelle pasta
I like to serve this sausage ragu with pappardelle pasta, the wide thick pasta that is sold coiled up, like pictured. The surface is slightly rough so it’s ideal for tossing with thick hearty sauces like this sausage ragu, shredded beef ragu and chicken ragu which clings to the pasta well.
Having said that though, I’d happily serve sausage ragu with any pasta – short or long!
How to make Sausage Ragu
No different to making your favourite Bolognese – just a little extra time for slow cooking!
Soffrito – Cook the onion, garlic, celery and carrot in a large heavy based pot over medium heat for 8 minutes, or until the carrot is soft and sweet. Don’t let the vegetables go golden! This step is key for a really beautiful flavour base for the sauce so don’t rush it.
Cook sausage – Remove the sausage meat from the casings (you literally just squeeze it out) then cook it like you would mince (ground meat). Break it up as you go but don’t get caught up in a frenzy on this step because sausage meat is “stickier” so it won’t crumble as well. We will break it up finer later partway through cooking.
Ragu sauce – Next, cook the tomato paste for 1 minute to remove the raw sour flavour. Then reduce the wine by half to cook out the winey flavour which only takes a couple of minutes. And finally, add the remaining ingredients: canned tomato, chicken stock, bay leaves, thyme, salt, pepper and chilli flakes if using (I always do).
Slow cook #1 (1 hour) – Pop the lid on and put it in the oven for 1 hour at 180°C/350°F (160°C). I always feel like this sounds high for a slow cook but actually, this is the oven equivalent temperature of a very small stove burner on low.
Why oven instead of stove? Just easier because it’s entirely hands off, just stick it in the oven and leave it. No need to worry about the base catching. This sauce is quite thick so if you do use the stove instead, you’ll need to stir quite regularly.
Crush meat – Take the pot out of the oven then use a potato masher to crush the meat into finer pieces. (See step 2 notes about how sausage meat doesn’t crumble as well as mince/ground beef). The meat is tender at this point so it doesn’t take much effort. I usually do about 8 to 10 mashing motions around the pot.
Slow cook #2 (45 minutes) – Then return the pot into the oven for a further 45 minutes to finish slow cooking. Once done, the sauce will be quite thick, like pictured above, with quite intense flavour. This is what we want because a) the thickness will be loosened up when tossed with pasta; and b) the sauce gets dispersed through pasta so the flavour gets diluted. So the sauce flavour should be intense in the pot so it’s the right level of flavoursome once tossed through the pasta!
Tossing pasta with sauce – essential step!
Pasta cooking water – Cook the pasta per the packet directions in a large pot of salted water. Just before draining, scoop out a big jug of the pasta cooking water which we will use in the next step. The starch in the water is what helps the sauce cling to the pasta.*
Tossing pasta with sauce – If you are making a full batch, then just add the pasta into the ragu pot set over medium heat on the stove. If you are making a smaller batch as I do in the video (I am making enough for 2 servings) then return the drained pasta into the same pot you cooked the pasta in.
Pasta sauce – Add the pasta sauce into the pasta (obviously this step is not relevant if you put the pasta into the pasta sauce pot!!).
Pasta cooking water – Add 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water. This loosens up the thick pasta sauce so it coats the pasta strands. The reason we use the pasta cooking water is because it has starch in it from the pasta. This starch reacts with the fat in the pasta sauce and makes the sauce thicker so it clings to the pasta strands better, rather than remaining pooled at the bottom of your pasta bowl.
Toss, toss, toss! Then use two spatulas to toss the pasta for 1 minute, or until the pasta sauce is tangled throughout and clinging to the pasta, and the pasta strands are stained red. Use an extra slosh of pasta cooking water if you need to loosen things up.
Warmed bowl – Divide the pasta between bowls. I like to warm the pasta bowls beforehand (30 seconds in the microwave!) to keep the pasta slippery and warm for longer. Cold pasta = dry pasta!
Serve with a shower of freshly grated parmesan. Then, the picture taker in me couldn’t resist finishing with a pinch of parsley, but it’s totally unnecessary in real life and if you came to my house and I made this for you, said pinch of parsley would not be present.
This is one for the weekend. For lazy Sundays. Serve with garlic bread, rocket or baby spinach salad with balsamic dressing and finish with tiramisu. Reserve a seat for me at your table!! 🙂 – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
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Sausage ragu with pappardelle pasta
Ingredients
Sausage ragu:
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small onion , finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves , finely minced
- 1 carrot , peeled and grated using a box grater (Note 1)
- 2 celery stalks , grated using a box grater (Note 1)
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 350g / 12 oz pork sausages , meat removed from casings (Note 2)
- 350g / 12 oz beef sausages , meat removed from casings (Note 2)
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 cup pinot noir red wine (sub 0% alcohol red wine or more chicken stock)
- 1 cup chicken stock/broth , low sodium
- 400g/14 oz can crushed tomato
- 3 thyme sprigs (or 1/2 tsp dried)
- 2 bay leaves (fresh better, else dried)
- 1/2 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp chilli flakes (red pepper flakes), optional (for hint of heat)
To serve:
- 500g/ 1 lb pappardelle pasta , or other pasta (80g/2.8oz per serving) (Note 3)
- Parmesan or parmigiano reggiano , finely grated, for serving
- Parsley , finely chopped, optional garnish (just a pinch)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced).
- Soffrito – Heat the oil in a large heavy based pot (with a lid) over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, carrot, celery and fennel seeds. Cook for 8 minutes until the carrot is soft and sweet, but not golden.
- Cook sausage – Turn the heat up to high and add the sausage. Cook, breaking it up as you go, as best you can. It doesn't crumble as well as mince/ground meat but that's ok, we will break it up more later.
- Deglaze – Once the meat is no longer pink (it doesn't really brown), add the tomato paste. Cook for 1 minute. Add the wine and let it simmer rapidly for 2 minutes until reduced by half, stirring regularly to scrape the base of the pot clean.
- Slow cook #1 (1 hr) – Add the remaining ragu ingredients. Stir, bring to a simmer, put the lid on and place it in the oven for 1 hour.
- Slow cook #2 (45 min) – Remove from the oven and use a potato masher to mash the meat finer. Put the lid back on, and return to the oven for 45 minutes. The sauce will be quite thick, it gets loosened when tossed with the pasta.
- Salt – Taste and add more salt if desired. (Sausages vary in saltiness so I always start with less)
Pasta:
- Cook pasta – Cook the pappardelle according to the packet instructions. Just before draining, scoop out 1 1/2 cups of the cooking water and set it aside.
- Toss with sauce – Have the ragu pot on the stove over medium heat. Add the pasta into the pot along with 1/2 cup of the pasta cook water. Use two spatulas to toss the pasta until the ragu is tangled in the pasta strands and it is stained red from the sauce. Use extra pasta cooking water if needed to loosen it up.
- Serve in pre-warmed bowls, garnish with parmesan and a pinch of parsley if desired. Eat immediately!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Originally published in February 2016. Recipe improved in February 2024 with improved sauce flavour and consistency, writing tidied up, much improved video. And most important, Life of Dozer section added!
Life of Dozer
And then I published it.
Hi Nagi,
Instead of using crushed tomatoes would it be fine to use passata? I have passata at home already.
Thank you! I can’t wait to make this!
I am making this for Sunday night dinner and will be using pasata..
Hi Nagi,
I live in the U.S. and cannot find beef sausage. Would you recommend to just use ground beef or all pork sausage?
Thank you! I always love your recipes
Do you have anywhere that sells kosher food near you, Melina? They tend to do beef sausages as obviously pork is off limits. It’s funny because in Europe I’ve often seen beef sausages referred to as ‘American sausages’!
This is a rich and really delicious Ragu! I had some carmelised onion pork sausage meat and beef mince which I used! This would work well with any pasta and would be good as the meat sauce for lasagne. Will definitely be making again (and again)! 🙏
Yum looks delish just wondering can I add broccoli to the recipe?
Ame, I would recommend against it. Broccoli has such a strong flavor and aroma that it completely alter the taste. Why not serve it as a side instead? So looking forward to trying Nagi’s newest creation, I hope you enjoy it too.
Hi Nagi, thanks for all your amazing recipes. I notice that there’s no nutritional info on this recipe ( same as with your cookbook which I LOVE). Are you moving away form publishing the nutritional info? Cheers!
Oops! Adding it now 🙂 I deliberately didn’t put it in my cookbook because it can be so subjective and I didn’t want it locked in print. Whereas on my website at least I can fix things if people ask questions that make me realise it’s best to change! Nutrition calculations really can be so different depending on things like brand, country to country etc. – N x
Thanks for responding! PS I hope Dozer is ok x
Love your recipes, love your cookbook and have learnt so much about the preparation and the “why” we do it this way.
I have gifted your book to all my daughters and daughter in laws, sons and sons in law. We all compare what we have made and recommended recipes. What I really like about your recipes is that you aren’t just following along but actually learning the intricacies of perfecting the meal. Example the vanilla sponge cake Yum.
I cant get pappardelle pasta at my local store . could softened lasagne sheets cut up do the job?
Hi Patricia! I think you’ll find the sheets are too thick. I think you’re better off using linguine, fettuccine etc, though honestly last night I had the ragu sauce with penne and the day before with orecchiette and it just works with everything! N x
Drooling in my lap by the dozer is just fine with me😃
BA HA HA!!!! In reality it is even more gross than it sounds 😀
Nagi, I absolutely love your recipes❤️but the music in your ragu, sorry prefer your original set up
You don’t like this track??? 😆
I love your jazzy music. Please don’t ever change it. That’s the reason I watch the video first before reading the recipe.
Joanne, OMGosh! That video and jazzy music nearly made me want to crawl right into the bowl before Nagi draped all the luscious pasta on me. Her videos may be instructional but they’re such a tease. I know, sometimes you just have to say it out loud. lol! That’s the life!
Dear Nagi as always you come up with winning recipes. I haven’t tried it yet but it’s already on file to be cooked this weekend. All your recipes I compiled in files with notes I make when cooking. Your recipes are tops and loved by all my family and friends. Thank you for all the hardwork you put into your beautiful recipes. I salute you!
Thank you for the lovely message Paula! N x
Thanks so much Nagi for your fabulous and authentic recipes and videos. For a person who is relatively a noob in the kitchen, your recipes are a life saver.
My family hasn’t complained about my meals when I followed your recipes and they’re a tough crowd to please! So please know that you’re making a huge difference to many of us out there, even for those of us who live overseas. 🙂
To this day, 10 years into going what I do, it is messages like this that make me love what I do. Thank you for taking the time to leave this message! N x
Hi Nagi, yum! Can’t wait to try. And I love your videos. I also loved seeing and hearing you IN the video with your delightful personality. Whatever works for you, of course, but you are a fabulous presenter ❤️🤩
Thanks Joanne! It just depends on how much time I have because the videos with me in them take longer to film at the moment, because I am new to the set up! Whereas these hands ones I’ve done thousands of now, plus I can do them anytime of the day, night or day. 🙂 N x
Dear Nagi, thank you for your informative reply to my staff status query. I hope all the lovely people in your crazy Xmas staff pic continue to support you in their different roles. Rock on 😊!
Could you use the naked sausages Chevaps from the big supermarket chain. ?
Yes, absolutely! N x
Going to give this a bash when the weather cools off. Every spag bol I make cooks in the oven at 160. It makes the sauce so much nicer and I love that oily “split’. I often dip a piece of bread in that when checking it.
Oven is the best for slow cooking, isn’t it!!! 🙂 N x
Hi Nagi, you mentioned in early Jan. that you and Dozer were padding around the place alone. Where are your lovely staff? Still on holidays? What’s up Doc🤔?
I have been wondering the same thing. I’m glad you asked!
Gosh, I never think that people have an interest!! 🙂 Thank you for caring Cindy. Maybe I should do a little life update. It’s just a bit tricky because I’ve been involved in projects where I’ve had to sign confidentiality agreements so I can’t say anything until they let me! It kills me. I’m so used to just telling my readers everything whenever I want to!!
Hi Deanna! Things change, people move on 🙂 My kitchen support staff left just before Christmas, JB (chef) has taken a step back from RTE and is currently focussed solely on RTM and is working out of the kitchen full time now. I was intending to get another chef to step in but that didn’t work out unfortunately. The rest of my team is still with me but they’ve always worked mostly from home – IT manager, video editor and my finance manger. So with just me here at the office, my assistant mostly works from home those we move around a lot and have a lot of activities so she is out and about a lot with me!! I still see my team regularly, it’s just we aren’t working together here at the office like we used to. Things change! We adapt. 🙂 Thanks for taking an interest!! – N xx ❤️
this looks amazing and i can’t wait to try it out. i have made so many of your recipes and love them all so far.
just wondering if this one could be done in the slow cooker?
Hi Angela! I’ll add a note about this – it can be done but it’s better in the oven because the surface of the sauce caramelises during the slow cooker time. But 6 hours on low or 4 hours on high would be the right time in a slow cooker. If yours doesn’t have a sauté function built in then just do all the stove sautéing / simmering etc then transfer into the slow cooker for the 1 hr 45 min oven slow cooking time (but use the slow cooker times I mention above). – N x
Oh yummy, sounds fabulous can’t wait to try this out.
So delicious. Thank you x
Fed a family group of 10 with this recipe. Everyone loved it. Thank you
Absoloutely delicious! I didn’t have tomato paste, but it was so tasty. The family all agreed that it was yummy.
Love your recipes, Nagi!