Fusilli Pasta with Sausage Ragu
This fusilli pasta is perfectly paired with a sweet & spicy sausage ragu sauce that is not only easy to make but is simply delicious in taste. A crowd-pleasing pasta dish fit for any occasion!
Servings 4
Calories
Ingredients
- 2 sausage links (1 sweet Italian sausage 1 spicy sausage)
- 1/2 red onion, diced small
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 medium-large carrot, diced small
- 2-3 tablespoons chicken broth
- 1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes (see notes)
- fresh basil, chopped
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
- salt & black pepper
- fusilli or rotini pasta
Instructions
- Cook sausage: In a large skillet, heat on medium heat and add sausage (remove from casing). Brown in pan for about 7 minutes - let sausage cook so edges can crisp but stir occasionally to avoid burning.
- Add diced veggies: In the same pan with sausage, add diced red onion, minced garlic, and carrot. Saute with sausage for 2-3 minutes.
- Deglaze pan and simmer: Add a splash of broth or white wine to pan to help deglaze pan - scrape bottom of pan with spatula. Then add crushed tomatoes with generous pinch of salt & pepper. Let simmer for 10-15 minutes (or until carrots are tender). If sauce cooks down too much add water in small amounts as needed.
- Cook pasta: While sauce is cooking boil water for pasta - season pasta water 1 teaspoon of salt. Cook pasta as box/bag instructs - drain pasta and reserve 1/4 cup of pasta water.
- Combine noodles and ragu: Add pasta and pasta water to ragu sauce. Stir together with 1/4 cup fresh parmesan and chopped basil - serve immediately and enjoy!
Notes
- Make it gluten free: either use your favorite gluten free noodles for this dish or serve this ragu over zucchini noodles.
- Sausage: I don't recommend swapping sausage for ground beef or turkey. I really recommend sausage (sweet Italian and spicy) for this recipe because of how much flavor it brings to this whole dish.
- Tomatoes: I like using crushed tomatoes in this recipe because I love a little texture in my sauce. If you prefer a smoother sauce, use pureed tomatoes instead for a simple swap.