Turkey Sausage Ragu

I love an excuse to make any pasta dish and let me tell you, this Turkey Sausage Ragu, a riff on a Giada recipe, did not disappoint.

There’s just something about a cold January night and a big bowl of pasta with meat sauce. Ultimate comfort food. A stick-to-the-bones meal. A little tomato sauce, some turkey sausage, and a good egg noodle like Pappardelle … perfection!

What is Ragu?

Definition of ragù : a hearty, seasoned Italian sauce of meat and tomatoes that is used chiefly in pasta dishes and that is typically made with ground beef, tomatoes, and finely chopped onions, celery, and carrots.

In this case, the Ragu has diced carrots and chopped red pepper but not celery.

What kind of sausage to use?

I used sweet Italian turkey sausage but you could also use hot Italian turkey sausage for an extra kick or Italian pork sausage if you’d rather.

Can I use whole wheat or regular white pasta?

Sure, although I really prefer the egg noodles with this because of the way the sauce coats the noodles.

Try these other pasta dishes on my blog:

Instant Pot Cheesy Turkey Penne Pasta

Creamy Turkey and Mushroom Pasta

Spicy Turkey Sausage Pasta

Pasta with Garden Veggies and Turkey Sausage

Instant Pot Creamy Parmesan and Turkey Penne

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Turkey Sausage Ragu

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Course Main Course, Pasta

Cuisine Italian

Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 pound Sweet Italian Turkey Sausage casings removed
• 2 Tbsp.

  Olive oil

  extra virgin
• 1 Red onion diced
• 1 Carrot peeled and diced
• Kosher salt
• 1/2 cup Dry white wine
• 1-1/2 cups Tomato puree canned
• 1 2-inch rind, Parmesan cheese
• 1 pound Pappardelle pasta
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese freshly grated + more for garnish
• 3 Tbsp. Fresh basil chopped

Instructions

 

• Heat a large straight-sided skillet over medium-high heat.
• Add the oil and turkey sausage and cook, stirring often and breaking apart the sausage with the back of a wooden spoon, until beginning to brown, about 7 minutes.
• Add the onion, carrot and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring often, until fragrant and the vegetables are almost cooked through, about 4 minutes.
• Deglaze with the wine, scraping up the brown bits from the bottom of the skillet. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until reduced by half, about 3 minutes.
• Stir in the tomato puree and cheese rind. Reduce the heat and simmer gently for 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Season the water generously with salt. Add the Pappardelle and cook until the pasta is floating and barely al dente, 2 to 3 minutes. Reserve 1 cup pasta water, then drain well.
• Remove and discard the Parmesan rind from the sauce.
• Add the pasta to the sauce and sprinkle the bare pasta with the Parmesan cheese and basil.
• Add 1/2 cup pasta water and toss well to coat, adding more pasta water as needed to maintain a light sauce.
• Serve with more Parmesan cheese on top if desired.

Keyword turkey sausage pasta, turkey sausage ragu

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