Rich and Hearty Sausage and Mushroom Ragu

This Sausage and Mushroom Ragu is rich and hearty and ready in about 45 minutes!  Layers of flavor are built easily with mushrooms, Italian sausage, red wine  and tomatoes.   It's a restaurant quality pasta recipe that's easy enough for a weeknight, but perfect for a special occasion!

I admit growing up and through the first few years of marriage, I got my Ragu from a jar.  You know what I'm talking about.  I didn't even know what a ragu was - I thought it was the brand name. 

Sad.  I know. 

It turns out a ragu is a sauce (not a company!)  It usually consists of ground meat, onions, tomatoes and red wine.  All the good things. 

This ragu has all that and more.  It's not difficult to make, takes about 45 minutes, and is quite possibly my most favorite pasta recipe ever! 

Ingredients.

• Pasta - use your favorite dried pasta.  I usually use pappardelle, but this time I used some wide linguini.
• Mushrooms - the original recipe called for portobello.  Button mushrooms were on sale, so I went with those.  With all the flavor from the Italian sausage and the red wine, I think button were fine.  You could also use a mix of mushrooms. 
• Chicken broth - I used homemade Instant Pot broth. 
• Italian sausage - use bulk for a finer grind.
• Crushed tomatoes.
• Red wine - use a wine that you would be willing to drink, do not use a red wine specifically made for cooking! 
• Garlic.
• Cinnamon.
• Onion - can use shallots.
• Butter. 

Step by step instructions.

Begin by prepping the vegetables - finely dicing the mushrooms, onion, and garlic. 

Add the butter to a skillet over medium heat.  When the butter is hot, add the garlic and stir for about 30 seconds or until the garlic becomes fragrant. 

Add the mushrooms and onion to the pan.  Cook, stirring until the mushrooms have softened and they have released their liquid.  This should take about 5 minutes.

Add the sausage to the pan and brown.   Stir, breaking up the clumps until no longer pink, about 10 minutes.  If there is an excess of fat, pour off some of the fat. 

Turn the heat up to medium high and add the red wine.  The wine should come to a boil.  Cook, stirring and scraping up the brown bits until almost all of the wine has evaporated, about 5 minutes. 

Add the broth, cinnamon and  pepper to the skillet.  Continue cooking until the broth is reduced by about half.  

Turn the heat back down to medium and add the crushed tomatoes and simmer for about 5 minutes. 

While the sauce is simmering, cook the pasta until al dente.  I like to cook it a minute or two less than called for because it will finish cooking in the sauce.  Drain the pasta, reserving about ½ cup of the pasta liquid. 

When the sauce is finished simmering, add the cooked pasta to the sauce.  Toss to combine, taste and adjust seasonings.  If needed, a little of the reserved pasta water to moisten the sauce. 

Oh my gosh, people, this recipe is amazing!  There is a fancy Italian restaurant in town and this pasta tastes like it came from there - and yet I had it on the table with not much work in about 45 minutes!  

Seriously, my new favorite pasta recipe.  I saw them make this on Milk Street Television (do you watch it?) and had to try it immediately.   It's in their Tuesday Night Cookbook, which is filled with recipes labeled fast, faster and fastest!   This cookbook has won a James Beard Award and an IACP award - with good reason, it's filled with recipes you really want to try! 

More Delicious Pasta Recipes

If you haven't tried fennel with pasta, you are in for a treat with this Sausage and Fennel Pasta! 

Need a really quick pasta recipe, in the time it takes you to boil the water you can put together this quick no cook pasta sauce! 

You can make this Easy Roasted Vegetable Pasta all year round, just use whatever vegetables are in season. 

Meatless Mondays are delicious with this Pasta with Broccoli and Capers! 

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