Pasta with Sausage Ragu
By Ashley MoorePublished on September 8, 2016
Time
2 hours
Yield
Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients
½ fennel bulb, stalks discarded, bulb cored and chopped coarse½ onion, chopped coarse1 tablespoon fennel seeds 1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes 2 pounds sweet Italian sausage, casings removed1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling½ teaspoon table salt, plus salt for cooking pasta2 tablespoons tomato paste 4 garlic cloves, minced1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano ¾ cup red wine Pepper 1 pound pappardelle or tagliatelleGrated Parmesan cheese
Before You Begin
For a spicier sauce, substitute hot Italian sausage for sweet. You will have 3 cups of extra sauce, which can be used to sauce 1 pound of pasta.
Instructions
- Pulse fennel, onion, and fennel seeds in food processor until finely chopped, about 10 pulses, scraping down sides of bowl as needed; transfer to separate bowl. Process tomatoes in now-empty processor until smooth, about 10 seconds; transfer to second bowl. Pulse sausage in now-empty processor until finely chopped, about 10 pulses, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.
- Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add sausage and cook, breaking up meat with spoon, until all liquid has evaporated and meat begins to sizzle, 10 to 15 minutes.
- Add fennel mixture and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. (Fond on bottom of pot will be deeply browned.) Add tomato paste, garlic, and oregano and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Stir in wine, scraping up any browned bits, and cook until nearly evaporated, about 1 minute. Add 1 cup water and pureed tomatoes and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to low and simmer gently, uncovered, until thickened, about 45 minutes. (Wooden spoon should leave trail when dragged through sauce.) Season with salt and pepper to taste; cover and keep warm.
- Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add pasta and 1 tablespoon salt and cook, stirring often, until al dente. Reserve 1 cup cooking water, then drain pasta and return it to pot. Add 3 cups sauce and 1⁄2 cup reserved cooking water to pasta and toss to combine. Adjust consistency with remaining reserved cooking water as needed. Transfer to serving dish. Drizzle with extra oil, sprinkle with Parmesan, and serve. (Remaining 3 cups sauce can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 1 month.)
Time
2 hoursYield
Serves 4 to 6Ingredients
½ fennel bulb, stalks discarded, bulb cored and chopped coarse
½ onion, chopped coarse
1 tablespoon fennel seeds
1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes
2 pounds sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
½ teaspoon table salt, plus salt for cooking pasta
2 tablespoons tomato paste
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
¾ cup red wine
Pepper
1 pound pappardelle or tagliatelle
Grated Parmesan cheese
Ingredients
½ fennel bulb, stalks discarded, bulb cored and chopped coarse
½ onion, chopped coarse
1 tablespoon fennel seeds
1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes
2 pounds sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
½ teaspoon table salt, plus salt for cooking pasta
2 tablespoons tomato paste
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
¾ cup red wine
Pepper
1 pound pappardelle or tagliatelle
Grated Parmesan cheese
Ingredients
½ fennel bulb, stalks discarded, bulb cored and chopped coarse
½ onion, chopped coarse
1 tablespoon fennel seeds
1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes
2 pounds sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
½ teaspoon table salt, plus salt for cooking pasta
2 tablespoons tomato paste
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
¾ cup red wine
Pepper
1 pound pappardelle or tagliatelle
Grated Parmesan cheese
Why This Recipe Works
For our quick weeknight version of this typically long-cooked dish, we needed to develop flavor at every stage. After browning 2 pounds of Italian sausage, we added fennel, onion, and fennel seeds that we had finely chopped in the food processor—the fennel and fennel seeds helped amplify the sausage flavor—and cooked them until softened.
Before You Begin
For a spicier sauce, substitute hot Italian sausage for sweet. You will have 3 cups of extra sauce, which can be used to sauce 1 pound of pasta.
Instructions
- Pulse fennel, onion, and fennel seeds in food processor until finely chopped, about 10 pulses, scraping down sides of bowl as needed; transfer to separate bowl. Process tomatoes in now-empty processor until smooth, about 10 seconds; transfer to second bowl. Pulse sausage in now-empty processor until finely chopped, about 10 pulses, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.
- Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add sausage and cook, breaking up meat with spoon, until all liquid has evaporated and meat begins to sizzle, 10 to 15 minutes.
- Add fennel mixture and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. (Fond on bottom of pot will be deeply browned.) Add tomato paste, garlic, and oregano and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Stir in wine, scraping up any browned bits, and cook until nearly evaporated, about 1 minute. Add 1 cup water and pureed tomatoes and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to low and simmer gently, uncovered, until thickened, about 45 minutes. (Wooden spoon should leave trail when dragged through sauce.) Season with salt and pepper to taste; cover and keep warm.
- Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add pasta and 1 tablespoon salt and cook, stirring often, until al dente. Reserve 1 cup cooking water, then drain pasta and return it to pot. Add 3 cups sauce and 1⁄2 cup reserved cooking water to pasta and toss to combine. Adjust consistency with remaining reserved cooking water as needed. Transfer to serving dish. Drizzle with extra oil, sprinkle with Parmesan, and serve. (Remaining 3 cups sauce can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 1 month.)
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