Spicy Rigatoni With Fennel Sausage Ragu
Frankie Celenza
- Serves
- 4 - 6
Bologna, Italy, is where some of the country's greatest culinary creations were born. Among them is the ragu, known to the rest of the world as Bolognese. In English, we have wrongly been calling all meat sauces Bolognese. The real thing braises for hours, is paired with super thin egg based tagliatelle, and is wonderfully elegant. My version takes inspiration from this masterpiece, but it's ready in just thirty minutes. As a result of the faster cooking time, this sauce is a little bit chunky, which makes it a perfect pairing for a hearty boxed pasta. I recommend mezze rigatoni or rigatoni, but any larger, non-twirly pasta will work well and be balanced with this chunky, rustic sauce.
—Frankie
Recipe excerpted from "EAT: Easy, Affordable, Tasty: 100 Recipes with All of the Flavor and None of the Fuss - A Cookbook" © 2025 by Frankie Celenza
Ingredients
- Kosher Salt
- 1 pound dried mezze rigatoni or rigatoni
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
- 1 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
- 1 teaspoon crushed fennel seeds
- 2 yellow onions, diced
- 1 carrot, grated on the large holes of a box grater
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 3 tablespoons vodka
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, plus more serving
- 1 cup packed fresh basil leaves
Directions
- Step 1
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Stir in the pasta and cock until al dente according to the package instructions, then reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water and drain.
- Step 2
Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. When the cil is shimmering, add the sausage and fennel and cook, undisturbed, until the sausage is lightly browned, about 3 minutes, then cook, using a wooden spoon to break up the meat, until no longer pink and lightly caramelized, 2 to 4 minutes.
- Step 3
Add the onions and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions just turn golden, about 10 minutes. If the pan seems dry, add another tablespoon of olive oil after about 5 minutes. Add the carrots, tomato paste, and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring, until the tomato paste is darkened and incorporated, about 1 minute.
- Step 4
Pour in the vodka and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the tomatoes and 1 cup of water. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook until the sauce thickens and a spoon pulled through leaves a trail, 7 to 10 minutes.
- Step 5
Add the cocked pasta to the sauce. Increase the heat to high and cook, stirring, until incorporated, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat, add the cheese and basil, and stir to mix well. If the married sauce and pasta looks a little dry or pasty, stir in ¼ cup of the reserved pasta cooking water at a time and using up to the full 1 cup if needed.
- Step 6
Serve immediately, with additional cheese. if desired.