Sausage & Sun-Dried Tomato Ragu

Instructions

1. Prepare Ingredients

   5 min hands-on

   • Remove sausagemeat from casing and place into a bowl.
   • Finely mince garlic cloves.
   • Slice basil leaves, separating stalks from leaves; chop stalks finely and set leaves aside.
   • Drain sun-dried tomatoes and roughly chop.

2. Cook Sausage

   1 min hands-on7 min waiting

   • Heat a small amount of olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat.
   • Add sausagemeat, breaking into small pieces, and cook for 6-8 minutes until golden and crispy. Remove and set aside.

3. Build Flavor Base

   1 min hands-on2 min waiting

   • In the same pan, add remaining olive oil and reduce heat to medium-low.
   • Add minced garlic and chopped basil stalks; sauté for 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
   • Sprinkle in cayenne and black pepper, stirring to coat.

4. Cook Tomatoes

   1 min hands-on4 min waiting

   • Add chopped sun-dried tomatoes to the pan and stir.
   • Crush tomatoes gently with a spoon and cook for 4-5 minutes.

5. Reintroduce Sausage

   1 min hands-on5 min waiting

   • Return cooked sausage to the pan and stir to combine.
   • Simmer over low heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

6. Cook Pasta

   3 min hands-on9 min waiting

   • Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
   • Cook whole grain pasta until al dente, reserving some cooking water.

7. Combine Pasta and Ragu

   1 min hands-on2 min waiting

   • Add cooked pasta to the pan with ragu.
   • Pour in reserved pasta water as needed and toss to coat.
   • Stir over low heat for 1-2 minutes.

8. Finish and Serve

   2 min hands-on

   • Divide pasta among plates.
   • Sprinkle with Parmesan and garnish with basil leaves.
   • Cooking tips:
   • For an extra kick, increase cayenne or add crushed red pepper flakes.
   • For a less spicy dish, reduce cayenne to a pinch or omit.
   • Enhance umami by adding a splash of sun-dried tomato oil.
   • Use high-quality Parmesan for best flavor; optionally shave fresh Parmesan over top.
   • If ragu thickens, thin with additional reserved pasta water.