Speedy Sausage Ragù

This Speedy Sausage Ragù is the most versatile meal. Perfect both as a weeknight family dinner and an effortless but impressive date night dinner idea, you simply can't go wrong with this comforting pasta bowl.

If there is something that makes me happy in this world, is tucking into a comforting bowl of tomatoey pasta (and from that, you can tell I am a real Italian). Both my nans make an excellent Ragù and, in the years, I have come up with a pretty decent version too. But what separates those Ragùs with any old spag bol is the amount of time the sauce cooks, absorbing all the flavours of the wine and herbs. In fact, a proper Italian Ragù has to slow cook at the very least for an hour and a half - the more, the better really - and on a day-to-day basis, people simply don't have this amount time on their hands.

So a couple of years ago, I started making this simple speedy Ragù, which still manages to pack a punch in terms of flavours. Like normal Ragù, the more you let the sauce cook, the better the flavour, but even after 25 minutes, this simple weeknight dinner tastes amazing. The secret is using some sweet sausages (I love either caramelised onion sausages or Bramley apple sausages), which work very well with the tomato passata, instead of beef mince. Indeed many households in Liguria add sausage meat to their Ragù, so it's not like I have completely changed the dish! This shows that often all you need is just a handful of simple, and frankly cheap, ingredients to get the most surprising results.

How to Put Together this Beautiful, Quick Ragù:

• Quality over quantity: You will literally need a handful of ingredients, so you might want to get some better-quality stuff to really get the flavours to come through. A good-quality jar of passata and some nice sausages really turn this dish into something you could get at a restaurant!

• Aromatics are your friends: This recipe calls for two dried herbs - bay leaves and oregano - both extremely important. But it also calls for a pinch of chilli powder for a little heat and a dash of sugar to balance the acidity of the tomato. Trust me, a little sugar goes a long way in tomato-based pasta dishes.

• Choose a thick cut of pasta: I mean, you can have this with any pasta you like, obviously. But I particularly enjoy it with thick varieties of pasta such as the pappardelle I am using here. If you particularly want to impress the person you are cooking for, fresh pasta like ravioli would also be amazing. You do you, though.

Key Steps to Make this Speedy Sausage Ragù:

1. Sear the sausages first: This will make it easier to cut the sausages into chunks, and it will also release some tasty fats in which you will be able to cook your onion.

2. Fry the onion: You want to fry the onion for quite a few minutes, adding water as needed, until it is browned and slightly caramelised.

3. Add the aromatics: Add the bay leaves, oregano and chilli powder. Then add the sausage chunks and some garlic.

4. Add the sauce: Go in with the passata and the sugar, stir well and add salt to taste. Let simmer away,

5. Cook your pasta: Once al dente, drain your pasta and add it to the pan with the sauce, Lower the heat and mix well for one or two minutes.

6. Plate and garnish with some parmesan: Always a great addition to any pasta dish.

Ingredients:

Serves 2 generous portions

6 sweet sausages (I like caramelised onion sausages and Bramley apple sausages)

350 gr tomato passata

1 large brown or yello onion

2 garlic cloves

2 bay leaves

1 tsp oregano

1/4 tsp chilli powder

1 tsp sugar

180 gr pappardelle (or any pasta you like)

Salt and olive oil

Parmesan to garnish (optional)

Method:

1. Add a dash of olive oil to a non-stick pan, and sear the sausages for a couple of mins per side, or until slightly browned. Remove the sausages from the pan and chop each one into 3 or 4 chunks. Leave aside.

2. Finely chop an onion and add it to the pan. The sausages will have released some fat already, but if you need more oil, feel free to add some to it. Cook the onion for 6 to 8 minutes, adding splashes of water as needed to deglaze the pan.

3. Now add your bay leaves, oregano and chilli powder. Stir for a few seconds.

4. Add the sausage chunks and the crushed garlic cloves. Cook for a further minute or so.

5. Time to add the passata, along with the sugar, salt to taste and about 50 ml of water. Let it simmer uncovered on a medium heat. If the sauce thickens up too much, simply add a little more water to it.

6. In a pot, bring water to a boil and cook your pasta according to the packet's description.

7. Once the pasta is cooked, drain it and add it to the pot. Lower the heat and mix well for a minute or so.

8. Serve the pasta with a generous helping of grated parmesan on top (optional but thoroughly recommended).

This Speedy Sausage Ragù makes for some awesome leftovers and can be kept in the fridge for up to 3 days.

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