Make Ahead

Pasta with Spicy Sausage Ragu

by:
May 13, 2011
4
4 Ratings
  • Serves 4
Author Notes

This hearty dish for four should cost about $1.50 per person. If I'm not being frugal I'll add a bulb of fennel in with the onions, but that can hike up the price a bit. - NWB —NWB

Test Kitchen Notes

This pasta makes a wonderful sunday night supper. For such an inexpensive meal, it is thoroughly hearty and flavorful. The spicy sausage adds a lot of flavor to the ragu, and I found it very quick and easy to prepare. It will definitely be added to our rotation of pasta dishes. - Marcal

Marcal

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 2 hot italian sausages or about 1/2 lb
  • 1 28 oz can of tomatoes
  • 1-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 medium red onion
  • 1 celery stalk
  • 2-3 cloves of garlic
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1 teaspoon anchovy paste
  • 1/2 tablespoon dried red pepper flakes (to taste)
  • parmesan cheese to taste (if you are splurging)
  • 1 pound dried pasta (I like rigatoni with this dish)
Directions
  1. Remove sausage from casing. In medium sauce pan break up and brown sausage. Remove sausage and set aside. Add olive oil to pan. Chop and add onions and celery. Add salt. Cook five minutes. Add chopped garlic. Add tomato and anchovy paste. Cook until veggies are soft but not brown. Add tomatoes. Add pepper flakes. Add one tomato can full of water. Bring to a boil and then simmer very lightly for 30 minutes.
  2. With immersion blender puree tomato sauce. Add sausage. Lightly simmer for an hour.
  3. Cook pasta (if you live in NYC go to Rafetto's on Houston and MacDougal for the best and cheapest pasta and while you are at it get the sausage from Ottomanelli on Bleeker and 7th avenue and the splurge of parm from Joe's on Sullivan just below Houston).
  4. Taste the sauce for salt. The anchovy paste is really salty so you may not need to add more. Add a good amount of tomato sauce to a large saute pan and heat. Add cooked pasta, turn off the heat and mix pasta and ragu. Serve with parm cheese and enjoy.
Contest Entries

See what other Food52ers are saying.

0 Reviews