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How many ways can I tell you how easy this Italian Sausage Ragu di Salsiccia  is? It’s a quick and easy pasta meat sauce that is ready in 25 minutes that’s a little spicy and a little sweet. Serve over gnocchi or any of your favorite pasta.

Gnocchi ragu in a white bowl viewed from overhead

Why is this easy ragu (meat sauce) so easy? Because it’s made using Italian sausage which is already seasoned.

A pan of sausage tomato sauce garnished with basil

Salsiccia is Italian for sausage. For this recipe, I use a combination of sweet and spicy sausage that adds just the right amount of spicy kick to the sauce without being overpowering.

A piece of gnocchi on a fork with Italian sausage ragu.

Ragu (a meat heavy tomato sauce) is classically Italian. This sauce takes a lot less time than my low and slow cooked Traditional Bolognese Sauce (which is worth the wait, by the way). The secret to this sauce is, the Italian sausage adds so much flavor, hence the quicker cooking time, versus the Bolognese that needs the time to develop the flavors.

Italian Sausage Ragu di Salsiccia  in a pan with basil leaves

A word of caution: Some Italian sausages can be salty and this will add salt to the sauce (along with the beef stock), so please be mindful of this when seasoning.

Ground Italian sausage pieces cooked in tomato sauce

Serving suggestion: I love to serve this Italian Sausage Ragu di Salsiccia  with Gnocchi, of which I love to make my own. Packaged will work well too as would any of your favorite shaped pasta. Homemade Tagliatelle is a good option.

Yield: 4

Italian Sausage Ragu di Salsiccia

Chunky meat in tomato sauce mixed with gnocchi

Sweet and spicy Italian sausage cooked in tomato puree.

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 pound (453 grams) sweet Italian sausage, removed from casing
  • 1 pound (453 grams) spicy Italian sausage, removed from casing
  • ½ cup (64 grams) yellow onion, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped or grated
  • ⅓ cup (75 ml) white wine * see note
  • ⅓ cup beef stock (low sodium)
  • 2 cups (500 ml) tomato puree/passata
  • 4 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

Instructions

  1. To large pan with a lid, add the oil over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and onion and cook stirring until starts to brown, breaking up the meat into small crumbles. Add the garlic and mix into the meat, cook for 1 minute. Add the wine and cook until evaporated, then add the beef stock.
  2. Lower the heat and add the puree, basil salt and pepper (the salt amount may vary depending how salty your sausage and stock is). Partially cover and simmer for 20 minutes. If it gets too dry, add water as needed. Taste for seasoning. If the sauce tastes acidic from the tomato puree, you can add a small amount of sugar.
  3. While the sauce cooks, bring a pan of water to a boil and cook 1 pound (454 grams) gnocchi or pasta according to package directions. Add right into the sauce and mix well.

Notes

* You can omit if you don’t want to use wine

Nutrition Information

Yield

4

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 640Total Fat 47gSaturated Fat 16gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 34gCholesterol 99mgSodium 1793mgCarbohydrates 10gFiber 0gSugar 3gProtein 41g

This nutrition calculation is provided by Nutronix that is only a guideline and not intended for any particular diet.

© Janette
Cuisine: Italian / Category: Dinner Ideas