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A rich tomato Sausage Ragu tossed in light, pillowy homemade ricotta gnocchi. Chilly nights call for comfort and what better way to wrap up and get cosy than with a big bowl of Italian comfort food. This easy sausage ragu tastes like it’s been simmering all day but is made in just over an hour including the gnocchi!
If you’re looking for a big warming bowl of comfort food then look no further.
This sausage ragu is incredible. It’s super rich and delicious, tastes like it’s been simmering all day but takes just over 1 hour to make with only 10 minutes prep time!
And while the ragu simmers away you can make homemade ricotta gnocchi to go with it. Honestly, this combo is a match made in heaven but you could serve it with store-bought gnocchi or any pasta you like.
Top tip for developing the best flavour
A good ragu always starts with a soffrito, finely chopped carrot, celery and onion. I always use equal amounts of each and chop them as finely as possible.
This is a crucial part in making this sausage ragu and shouldn’t be skipped. The soffrito should be sauteed slowly for at least 10 minutes (usually 10-15 minutes). Notice how bright and vibrant the vegetables start off in the pan, after cooking they should be dull in colour and softened.
Always saute the soffrito on a low heat, stirring frequently assuring it doesn’t burn. This will add a huge depth of flavour to the ragu or any sauce or soup!
How to make Sausage Ragu – step by step
Finely chop the carrot, celery and onion and add to a large pan with 1 tbsp of olive oil. Saute the vegetables slowly over a low heat for at least 10 minutes until softened (photos 1-2).
Once softened add the chopped garlic and saute until fragrant. Turn up the heat to medium and add the sausage meat, removed from their casings and brown in the pan. Use the side of a wooden spoon or spatula to break up the meat into smaller pieces as it browns (photo 3).
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Pin ItNext, add the red wine and reduce by half. Add the pureed tomatoes (passata) along with a bay leaf, sprig of rosemary and a good pinch of salt and pepper (photo 4-6).
Use the water to rinse out the passata bottle and add that to the sauce. Simmer the sauce on low for 1 hour, stirring a few times to make sure it doesn’t stick to the pan (photo 7).
When the sauce is almost ready (20 minutes before the end) make the gnocchi. Follow the instructions below then drop them into boiling salted water. When they float to the top they’re ready.
Remove with a slotted spoon and add to the sausage ragu, toss to coat and serve (photos 8 & 9).
How to make Ricotta Gnocchi
Ricotta gnocchi are a lot easier to get right than potato gnocchi plus they are really quick. All you need to do is mix all the wet ingredients in a bowl until there are no lumps.
Sift in the flour 1/4 at a time whilst mixing with a wooden spoon. Continue until you have a soft dough that you can form into a ball without being too sticky or wet.
Cut the dough into quarters and roll out into log before cutting them into small gnocchi. For full step by step photos on how to make the ricotta gnocchi and what they should look like check out my post for Easy Ricotta Gnocchi with Broccoli Cream Sauce.
Extra tips for making this Sausage Ragu
- Quality – Use the highest quality ingredients you can afford this is especially important when it comes to the sausages and strained crushed tomatoes (passata).
- Sausages – Buy sausages that are 95%+ pork, good quality and coarsely ground. If you can find Italian ones that are flavoured with fennel and garlic then that’s even better.
- Salt – If you do find Italian ones then you may not need to add extra salt to the sauce as they are usually pretty well seasoned. Try the sauce before adding more salt to be safe. You can always add it but can’t take it away.
- Tomatoes – For the best flavour I use Cirio classic passata or pureed tomatoes. The quality is really high and for the price, it’s so worth it. Cheap tomatoes will give your sauce a very acidic and sometimes metallic taste.
- Gnocchi – The gnocchi dough can be made in advance, wrapped in cling film and placed in the fridge until you’re ready to use it. You can make either ricotta gnocchi or potato gnocchi.
- Prepare in advance – If you make the ragu in advance, it will thicken as it cools. When you are ready to eat simply emulsify the sauce with a ladle or two of salted pasta/gnocchi water and stir to loosen. Heat on a medium/low heat.
- Leftovers – The ragu can be stored in the fridge for around 2 days or frozen for months.
More Italian ragu recipes you might like
- Italian Beef Ragu – A Classic Recipe
- Pici and Tuscan Sausage Ragu
- Authentic Bolognese Sauce (Ragu alla Bolongese)
- Venetian Duck Ragu with Pappardelle
- Lentil Ragu Lasagne
If you’ve tried this Sausage Ragu with Ricotta Gnocchi or any other recipe on the blog please let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST to see more delicious food and what I’m getting up to.
Step By Step Photos Above
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Sausage Ragu with Ricotta Gnocchi
Ingredients
For The Sausage Ragu
- 1 carrot, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 stalk celery, finely chopped
- 1/2 small onion, finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
- 6 sausages, high quality coarsely ground and casings removed
- 1/2 cup (125ml) red wine
- 2.5 cups (550g) pureed tomatoes/passata
- 1/2 cup (125ml) water
- 1 tbsp fennel seeds
- 1 sprig rosemary
- 1 bay leaf
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Finely chop the carrot, celery and onion and add to a large pan with 1 tbsp of olive oil. Saute the vegetables slowly over a low heat for at least 10 minutes until softened .*see notes on this step.
- Once softened add the chopped garlic and saute until fragrant. Turn up the heat to medium and add the sausage meat, removed from their casing and brown. Use the side of a wooden spoon or spatula to break up the meat into smaller pieces as it browns.
- Next, add the red wine and reduce by half. Add the pureed tomatoes (passata) along with a bay leaf, fennel seeds, sprig of rosemary and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Rince the tomato can or bottle out with the water and add to the sauce.
- Simmer the sauce on low for 1 hour, stirring a few times to make sure it doesn’t stick to the pan.
- When the sauce is almost ready (20 minutes before the end) make the gnocchi. Follow the instructions here then drop them into boiling salted water. When they float to the top they're ready.
- Remove with a slotted spoon and add to the sausage ragu, toss to coat and serve.
Notes
- Quality – Use the highest quality ingredients you can afford this is especially important when it comes to the sausages and strained crushed tomatoes (passata).
- Sausages – Buy sausages that are 95%+ pork, good quality and coarsely ground. If you can find Italian ones that are flavoured with fennel and garlic then that’s even better.
- Salt – If you do find Italian ones then you may not need to add extra salt to the sauce as they are usually pretty well seasoned. Try the sauce before adding more salt to be safe. You can always add it but can’t take it away.
- Tomatoes – For the best flavour I use Cirio classic passata or pureed tomatoes. The quality is really high and for the price, it’s so worth it. Cheap tomatoes will give your sauce a very acidic and sometimes metallic taste.
- Gnocchi – The gnocchi dough can be made in advance, wrapped in cling film and placed in the fridge until you’re ready to use it. You can make either ricotta gnocchi or potato gnocchi.
- Prepare in advance – If you make the ragu in advance, it will thicken as it cools. When you are ready to eat simply emulsify the sauce with a ladle or two of salted pasta/gnocchi water and stir to loosen. Heat on a medium/low heat.
- Leftovers – The ragu can be stored in the fridge for around 2 days or frozen for months.
Helpful Info for All Recipes
- I always use extra virgin olive oil in all of my recipes unless stated otherwise
- When I use canned or jarred tomatoes of any kind I always use Cirio or Mutti brands for the best results and flavour.
- All vegetables are medium sized unless stated otherwise
- All recipes are tested and developed using a fan (convection) oven
- Find out more about how nutrition is calculated.
- Check out our must have Italian Pantry Staples.
- You can also find all our Essential Kitchen Tools for Italian Cooking.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Gnocchi is one of my favorites and yours looks amazing!