5-ingredient Italian sausage ragu with polenta
"Ragu is one of my favorite comfort foods, but it’s not something I can usually whip up on a weeknight. This version takes a few shortcuts but comes through in a pinch. Use the best quality Italian sausage you can find to really pack in the flavor. If you wanted to splurge on a few more ingredients, dice up some garlic, celery stalks, and carrots and sauté them into the ragu with the onions. Add more depth with a sprig of rosemary, oregano, and a bay leaf when simmering the sausage in the tomato sauce or give it a thicker punch of tomato with a teaspoon of tomato paste. You can also top the dish with Pecorino or Parmesan cheese, or even make our creamy polenta to take it that much further."
Difficulty
Easy 👌Ingredients
Utensils
cutting board, knife, frying pan, cooking spoon, slotted spoon, pot, whisk
How-To Videos
How to make creamy polenta
How to chop herbs
Nutrition per serving
Step 1/3
- ½ onion
- 2 sprigs thyme
- 225 g Italian sausages
- salt
- pepper
- olive oil (for frying)
- cutting board
- knife
- frying pan
- cooking spoon
- slotted spoon
Peel and finely slice onion. Remove thyme leaves from the stems and finely chop. Heat some olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Remove skin from the Italian sausage, add it to the frying pan and break up with a cooking spoon as it browns. Season with salt and pepper and fry for approx. 8 min., or until the sausage is well browned and crispy, then remove from the frying pan with a slotted spoon. Drain most of the grease.
Step 2/3
- 400 g canned crushed tomatoes
Drain half of the fat from the frying pan, add sliced onion and sauté for approx. 5 min., until translucent. Add chopped thyme, tomatoes, and browned Italian sausage. Reduce heat and let simmer while you make the polenta.
Step 3/3
- 800 ml water
- 120 g polenta
- 20 g unsalted butter
- salt
- thyme (for garnish)
- pot
- whisk
Meanwhile, add water to a pot and bring to a simmer. Pour in polenta, reduce heat and keep whisking constantly for a smooth texture, approx. 5 min. Turn heat to low and cook for approx. 10 min. more, or until thickened and cooked. Remove from heat, add butter and season with salt. Serve polenta in a bowl, top with sausage ragu, and garnish with fresh thyme. Enjoy!
