Rigatoni with sausage ragu recipe
It’s always useful to keep sausages in the freezer. Skin them and they become endlessly versatile. If you’re sharing with kids who don’t like strong flavours, omit two of the garlic cloves and the herbs. Soften them separately in olive oil and mix into your portion before adding to your pasta.
Ingredients
- 1 splash olive oil, for frying
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 8 good-quality sausages, herby if you can get them
- 3 medium garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 small glass white wine
- 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves or 1 teaspoon dried
- 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh sage or 1 teaspoon dried
- 400 g tin chopped tomatoes
- 100 ml double cream (optional)
- 400 g rigatoni
- 1 pinch salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup grated Parmesan, to serve
Details
- Cuisine: Italian
- Recipe Type: Main
- Difficulty: Easy
- Preparation Time: 15 mins
- Cooking Time: 55 mins
- Serves: 4
Step-by-step
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas 4. Warm a good glug of olive oil in a large flameproof casserole and fry the onion gently for 15 minutes, so that it softens and begins to turn golden.
- Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan, squeeze the sausages out of their skins and begin to fry, breaking up the meat so it looks like mince. Allow it to turn golden on one side before flipping it over and continuing to break up.
- When the meat is coloured right through, about 10 minutes, add it, along with its juices, to the casserole, add the garlic and fry for a few minutes.
- Meanwhile deglaze the frying pan with the white wine, scraping out all the tasty caramelised bits into the casserole. Add the herbs, stir around, bubbling off the wine, and then add the tomatoes. Cover, bring to a simmer and transfer to the oven for 30 minutes. Season to taste and stir in the cream, if using.
- Cook the rigatoni in plenty of boiling water (well salted if you're not sharing with very young children) according to the packet instructions. Toss the drained pasta into the casserole, stir well to coat in the sauce and scatter with plenty of fresh Parmesan, to serve.
Recipe taken from Cooking for Real Life by Joanna Weinberg, published by Bloomsbury, £25.
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