Slow-Simmered Sausage Ragu Pasta

A white platter filled with rigatoni pasta in a rich tomato sauce, garnished with grated cheese and parsley.

Slow-Simmered Sausage Ragu Pasta

Sausage ragu is a slow-simmered Italian meat sauce made with caramelized soffritto, browned Italian sausage, crushed tomatoes, and fresh herbs, then finished with Parmesan and heavy cream and tossed with pasta. Most of the cooking time is hands-off, making it perfect for a Sunday dinner or a make-ahead meal. Make it on the stovetop, in an Instant Pot, or in a Slow Cooker.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Keyword sausage ragu

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 1 20

Total Time 1 35

Servings

Calories 932kcal

Author Julia

Ingredients

Ragù Sauce

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large yellow onion diced (about 1½ cups)
3 large carrots chopped (about 1½ cups)
2 stalks celery chopped (about ¾ cup)
1½ pounds Italian sausage pork
½ teaspoon red chili flakes
5 cloves garlic minced
6 oz tomato paste (1 can)
½ cup water
28 oz crushed tomatoes (1 can)
2 cups low-sodium beef broth
1 teaspoon brown sugar
3 sprigs fresh thyme
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
2 tablespoons fresh basil chopped
1 tablespoon fresh oregano chopped
½ teaspoon salt plus more to taste
¼ teaspoon coarse ground pepper
⅔ cup Parmesan cheese freshly shredded
½ cup heavy cream
16 oz pasta
Parmesan and basil freshly shredded & chopped, for garnish

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Caramelize the vegetables: In a tall skillet or large pot, heat the olive oil over just below medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery and cook for about 15-20 minutes. You want the vegetables browned and nearly caramelized — this adds so much flavor to the ragu.
Brown the sausage: Add the Italian sausage and red chili flakes. Cook until the sausage has browned, breaking it up as you cook. Drain the grease.
Add the garlic and tomato paste and cook for about 1-2 minutes.
Deglaze: Pour in the water and scrape the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to lift all the browned fond. If you use a non-stick pan, you may not have anything to scrape off.
Simmer: Add the crushed tomatoes, beef broth, brown sugar, thyme, rosemary, basil, oregano, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to keep a gentle simmer. Simmer for 90-120 minutes, stirring every 20-30 minutes.
Cook the pasta: About 20-25 minutes before the sauce is done, cook the pasta to al dente in a large pot of salted boiling water.
Finish the sauce: While the pasta cooks, remove the herb sprigs, then add the Parmesan and heavy cream to the sauce and stir to combine.
Combine: When the pasta is done, ladle about 1 cup of pasta water into a bowl and set it aside. Strain the pasta and immediately add it to the sauce, tossing to combine. If the sauce is too thick, add a splash of pasta water until you reach the right consistency.
Serve warm with a sprinkle of fresh Parmesan and chopped basil.

Notes

Cook the pasta to al dente and finish it in the sauce. Don't rinse it, don't let it sit in the colander, and always save a cup of that starchy pasta water. Tossing hot pasta directly into the ragu with a splash of the water is what makes the sauce cling to every piece instead of sitting on top of it.
Don't rush the soffritto. Those first 15-20 minutes of browning the onion, carrots, and celery are where the depth of this sauce comes from. Pale vegetables make a flat ragu.
Save your pasta water. The sauce thickens as it cools, so keep that reserved cup nearby to loosen it, at the table and again with leftovers.
Use mild, sweet, or hot Italian sausage. If you go with hot sausage, I'd cut the red chili flakes back to ¼ teaspoon.
Taste before you salt. Between the sausage, the beef broth, and the Parmesan, this sauce picks up a lot of salt on its own. Season at the very end.

Slow Cooker Instructions

You can let this sauce cook in a slow cooker when you get to the simmering section of the recipe. Here's how I do it:

Transfer the sauce to a slow cooker and set it to low for 6 to 8 hours.
About an hour before you want to serve, add the heavy cream and the Parmesan cheese.
Stir every 15 minutes until the cheese is melted and the sauce is combined nicely.
Cook the pasta and finish like written in the recipe.

Instant Pot Instructions

Set the Instant Pot to Sauté. Cook the onion, carrots, and celery with olive oil for 8–10 minutes, until softened and lightly browned.
Add the sausage and red pepper flakes and cook until browned, breaking up the meat; drain excess grease if needed. Add the garlic and tomato paste and cook for 1 minute.
Add the water and scrape the bottom of the pot thoroughly to prevent a burn warning. Stir in the crushed tomatoes, beef broth, brown sugar, herbs, salt, and pepper.
Cook on High Pressure for 20 minutes, followed by a 10-minute natural release, then release the remaining pressure.
Remove the herb sprigs and stir in the Parmesan and heavy cream. Toss with separately cooked pasta, adding a little reserved pasta water if needed to thin the sauce.

Make Ahead, Storage, and Freezing

Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 4 days in an airtight container. Store the sauce separately from the pasta if you can.
Make it ahead. The sauce is even better the next day. Simmer it a day early, refrigerate, and reheat gently while your pasta boils.
Freezer: Freeze the sauce for up to 2 months, ideally before adding the cream and Parmesan. Thaw overnight in the fridge, reheat gently, then stir in the dairy.

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