This hearty Sausage Ragu was inspired by one of many regional dishes originating in Sardinia, Italy. It has an incredible flavor profile starting with Italian pork sausage, combined with aromatic veggies, tomatoes, wine and saffron. Check out the full recipe below. This sauce pairs perfectly with the Malloreddus Pasta that I made in the previous post. The dish is traditionally finished with Pecorino Romano cheese, and I added some fresh parsley from my herb garden. Mangia!
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3-4 servings
Ingredients:
- 4 links gluten free Italian sausage, about 10 oz.
- 15 oz. can crushed tomatoes
- 8 oz. can tomato sauce
- 2 tbsp. tomato paste
- 1/2 cup onion, diced
- 1/2 cup carrot, diced
- 1/4 cup celery, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp. basil
- 1/2 tsp. oregano
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 1/4 cup red wine
- pinch of saffron, combined with 1 tbsp. water
Preparation:
Heat a deep skillet with 1 tbsp. olive oil. Cut the carrots, celery and onion into small dice. Add them to the skillet and cook for 5 minutes over low heat.
Remove the sausage casings and cut the sausage into small pieces. Add to the skillet with the veggies.
When the sausage starts to brown, push the meat and veggies to the sides of the pan and add the tomato paste in the center.
Let it toast for a few minutes, then stir it into the sausage and veggies.
Add the wine, and saffron water, garlic, basil, oregano and bay leaf.
Let the wine cook off for a few minutes, then add the crushed tomatoes and the tomato sauce. Stir well, and simmer 30-45 minutes with the lid slightly ajar to allow the sauce to thicken as it cooks. Stir the sauce every 10 minutes while it simmers.
Serve this wonderful sauce over your favorite pasta and finish with grated cheese. Pecorino Romano is traditional with this dish, but you can use Parmigiano Reggiano.
Notes ♪ You’ll want to choose a pasta that can stand up to a chunky sauce like this. Corkscrew pastas like fusilli, or ridged pasta like rigatoni work especially well. For a special treat, check out the Gluten Free Malloreddus Pasta that I made from scratch to go with this sauce.
Notes ♫ The sausage in this recipe contains plenty of salt, so if you are watching your sodium intake you can use unsalted tomatoes to balance things out.
