Sausage and Mushroom Ragu
Proper comfort food, Sausage and Mushroom Ragu is a hearty and flavourful meat sauce perfect to serve with pasta or polenta. If you’re looking for an alternative to beef ragu or bolognese, you need to try this tasty sausage and mushroom pasta sauce.
Using sausage meat as the base for ragu instead of beef adds so much flavour. Savoury sausage and earthy mushrooms go so well together, complimented by a slow cooked tomato sauce. Try this recipe instead of a traditional bolognese sauce or use it for a crowd-pleasing pasta bake.
Sausage and Mushroom Pasta
Ragu is a traditional Italian meat sauce typically served with pasta. The usual base for ragu is beef, pork, veal or a combination of these simmered low and slow in a tomato sauce. I love to use sausage meat and mushrooms in this ragu to mix it up.
For Sausage Ragu I typically use herby pork sausages like Lincolnshire, but most kinds of meat sausage will work. Turkey and chicken sausage are also great in this ragu recipe if you don’t eat pork – these turkey sausages are my favourite.
As for the mushrooms, you can use almost any kind. I love chestnut or cremini mushrooms, but baby button or even wild mushrooms are perfect. Use a mix of different mushrooms if you prefer.
Ingredients
- Sausage – I typically use pork sausages for the ragu but you can also use chicken or turkey sausage. Get the best quality you can reasonably afford.
- Mushrooms – chestnut or cremini mushrooms are my favourite, but any mushrooms will work.
- Onion
- Carrot
- Garlic
- Rosemary – fresh or dried.
- Tinned Tomatoes – Mutti are my favourite.
- Tomato Puree or Tomato Paste
Serving and Storing
I love Sausage and Mushroom Ragu served with a long, thick pasta like pappardelle, though it works well with most pasta shapes. Rigatoni or penne go great with the chunky sauce. Make sure to top your sausage and mushroom pasta with a hearty sprinkle of grated parmesan cheese.
You can never go wrong with a green salad on the side of a hearty ragu.
Make a Sausage and Mushroom Pasta Bake. Use a short pasta shape like fusilli or penne, stir through the pasta and pour into a baking dish. Tear up a couple of balls of fresh mozzarella or grate some cheddar and scatter over the top. Bake at 200c/400f for 10-15 minutes or until the cheese os golden and bubbly.
Use sausage and mushroom ragu as the meat sauce in a lasagne.
Instead of sausage and mushroom pasta, try serving sausage ragu with gnocchi or some creamy polenta.
Sausage and Mushroom Ragu will store in the fridge for 3 days or the freezer for 3 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge and reheat till piping hot before tossing with freshly cooked pasta.
I hope you like this recipe as much as I do!
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More Ragu Recipes
- Rich Beef Shin Ragu with Red Wine
- Slow Cooked Beef and Mushroom Ragu
- Slow Cooked Aubergine Ragu
- Lentil and Mushroom Bolognese
- Bolognese Pasta Bake
Sausage and Mushroom Ragu
Equipment
- Spatula or wooden spoon
Ingredients
- 400 grams pork sausages
- 200 grams mushrooms sliced
- 1 onion diced
- 2 carrots diced
- 3 cloves garlic diced
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary or 1 tsp dried
- 2 tbsp tomato puree or tomato paste
- 400 grams tin of chopped tomatoes
- 2 tbsp olive oil
To Serve
- 500 grams pappardelle pasta
- 2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese plus extra for garnish
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large saucepan or Dutch Oven over a medium heat. Add the diced onion and carrot and cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally until beginning to soften.
- Slit the sausage skins with a sharp knife and squeeze out the sausage meat and add to the pan. Cook, using a wooden spoon or spatula to break up the meat, for another 5-7 minutes until browned and golden.
- Add the mushrooms, garlic, rosemary and tomato paste to the pan with a generous pinch of salt and pepper then pour over the tomatoes. Fill the empty tin with water and pour into the mix then stir everything together.
- Bring to a boil then reduce the heat and simmer for 25-30 minutes, until the sauce is thickened and glossy.
- While the ragu is cooking, bring a large pot of salted water to boil and cook the pasta until al dente. Reserve a cup of water before draining.
- When the sauce is ready, stir in the grated parmesan and add the pasta along with a couple tablespoons of pasta cooking water. Stir well over a low heat, adding more pasta water as needed to create a silky smooth meat sauce that clings to the pasta. Season to taste if required and serve with more grated parmesan.
Notes
