Hearty
Sausage Ragu Fusilli
A weeknight ragu built from sausages, not minced beef — so it comes together in 40 minutes instead of three hours. The fennel-fragrant sauce gets caught in every twist of Cibo di Italia Fusilli for a properly hearty bowl.
Ingredients
- 400gCibo di Italia Fusilli
- 500gbeef or chicken sausages — skins removed; fennel-spiced if you can find them
- 3tbspolive oil
- 1piecemedium onion — finely chopped
- 1piecemedium carrot — finely chopped
- 1piececelery stick — finely chopped
- 4piecesgarlic cloves — finely chopped
- 1tspfennel seeds — crushed
- 3tbsptomato paste
- 400gchopped tomatoes — one tin
- 250mlhot chicken or vegetable stock
- 50gparmesan — finely grated
- to tastesalt and black pepper
Method
Step 1.Heat the olive oil in a wide, deep pan over medium-high heat. Crumble in the sausage meat and brown for 6 minutes, breaking it up into uneven nubs.
6 min
Step 2.Lower the heat to medium. Add the onion, carrot and celery with a pinch of salt; cook 8 minutes until soft and golden at the edges.
8 min
Step 3.Stir in the garlic, fennel seeds and tomato paste. Cook for 2 minutes until the paste turns brick-red and smells deep.
2 min
Step 4.Pour in the chopped tomatoes and the hot stock. Simmer gently for 18 minutes, stirring now and then, until the ragu is thick and spoon-coating.
18 min
Step 5.Meanwhile, bring 4 litres of salted water (2 tbsp salt) to a boil. Cook the fusilli for 10 minutes — al dente.
10 min
Step 6.Scoop out a mug of pasta water. Drain the fusilli and tip into the ragu pan with a splash of pasta water.
1 min
Step 7.Toss for 1 minute over low heat until every twist is hugging sauce. Stir in half the parmesan and season to taste.
1 min
Step 8.Serve in warm bowls topped with the rest of the parmesan and a grind of black pepper.
Goes well with
Sparkling water with cranberry juice, orange peel and a sprig of rosemary.
Garlic bread, or a sharp green salad with red wine vinegar.
Espresso panna cotta with chocolate shavings.
The pasta we used
Cibo di Italia Fusilli
500g · Cooks in 9–11 minutes · Serves ~5
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