Lately I have been posting so many dessert recipes, that I figured it’s time to show you what I’ve been cooking for dinner! Last night I made this recipe for Italian Sausage Ragu. I’ve made it several times before, and it’s one of my favorite pasta recipes. It has a lot of the flavors I like, including bell peppers, garlic, Parmesan cheese, Italian sausage, & parsley. And unlike many red sauces, it doesn’t have to simmer for very long, so it’s great for a quick dinner. It also makes excellent leftovers. Enjoy!
Italian Sausage Ragu
Ingredients
- ½ lb. dry penne, ziti, or fusili pasta
- ½ lb. Italian sausage, removed from the casings
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 yellow bell pepper, diced
- ½ cup onion, diced
- ¾ cup cremini mushrooms, diced
- 1 Tbsp. tomato paste
- 2 tsp. garlic, minced
- ½ cup dry white wine
- ½ cup chicken broth
- 1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes in juice
- 2 tsp. sugar
- Pinch red pepper flakes
- Salt & pepper
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley or basil
- Grated parmesan cheese
Directions
- Brown the sausage in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat for 5-7 minutes, breaking it apart into small pieces. Add the bell peppers, onions, and mushrooms to the pan with the sausage and cook 8-10 minutes, or until the vegetables have softened.
- Stir in the tomato paste, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Sauté 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the penne pasta (or ziti or fusili).
- Deglaze with wine, and then increase the heat to high and cook until the liquid is nearly evaporated. Add the chicken broth, tomatoes, and sugar; bring to a simmer and cook approximately 10 minutes, or until thickened. Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to the package directions, drain, and set aside.
- Season the ragu with salt & pepper, stir in the parsley, and serve over pasta. Garnish each serving with Parmesan cheese.
Serves: 4
Source: adapted from Cuisine at Home magazine, October 2007 issue
This looks so good, I plan to make it tonight!
Can you explain: “deglaze with wine”? Thanks, KR
Deglazing means to add liquid to a hot pan, which releases the browned bits of food that stick to the bottom of the pan during sauteing. The purpose of deglazing is to add flavor to the dish. To “deglaze with wine”, carefully pour the wine into the hot pan. Using a spatula or wooden spoon, scrape the browned bits from the bottom of the pan & then let the wine boil off and reduce. In this recipe, chicken broth can be used instead of white wine.
Your picture of this pasta dish looks so good! I think I will be making this for dinner really soon. Thanks for the great recipe!