Fast-and-Fresh Sausage Ragu

4 Reviews
ADD YOUR REVIEW
Photo: Jennifer Davick; Styling: Buffy Hargett
Total Time
40 Mins
Yield
Makes 6 to 8 servings
February 2013
RECIPE BY Southern Living

Use your favorite breakfast or Italian sausage. For a finer texture, break up the sausage as it cooks using a potato masher.

Ingredients

  • 1 (16-oz.) package rigatoni pasta
  • 1 (1-lb.) package ground pork sausage with sage
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 1 medium zucchini, diced
  • 2 medium carrots, diced
  • 3 garlic cloves, pressed
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
  • 1 (6-oz.) can tomato paste
  • 1 cup dry red wine
  • 1 (28-oz.) can diced tomatoes with basil, garlic, and oregano
  • Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

How to Make It

Step 1

Cook pasta according to package directions; drain, reserving 1/2 cup hot pasta water.

Step 2

Meanwhile, cook sausage in a large, 2-inch-deep skillet over medium-high heat, stirring often, 5 minutes or until sausage crumbles and is no longer pink. Add onion, zucchini, and carrots; cook, stirring often, 8 to 10 minutes or until tender. Add garlic and red pepper, and cook, stirring often, 1 to 2 minutes or until garlic is tender. Add tomato paste, and cook, stirring constantly, 1 to 2 minutes. Add wine and reserved pasta water; cook 2 minutes, stirring to loosen bits from bottom of skillet.

Step 3

Add tomatoes, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, and simmer, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Spoon sausage mixture over pasta; sprinkle with cheese.

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Ratings & Reviews

Eleni16's Review

AmyNJames
January 13, 2014
My go to ragu recipe. The whole family loves all the flavor that the sage sausage gives this pasta sauce...and lots of goodness in it too. Real simple to make for a weekday dinner

AmyNJames's Review

camiboon
October 23, 2013
This was good, but not great. The sauce has high visual appeal with the many vegetables.

madamelaprof's Review

madamelaprof
April 20, 2013
Made this in February as soon as I got the magazine and planning to make again this week. I added some extra crushed red pepper because I prefer a spicier sauce, and I cooked it the day before serving so the flavors had time to meld. I too appreciated the 'hidden' vegetables, and when I served it to my friend he had no idea it had zucchini in it. I think the sauce might work well in a lasagna too.

camiboon's Review

Eleni16
January 29, 2013
This was a great dish, and already a family favorite! It was so flavorful, and easy to make. I loved that it "hides" so many fresh vegetables for the kiddos. Thanks SL! Also, this definitely yields a lot. For a family of 4, I think half the recipe would be more than enough.