Pasta with Sausage and Porcini Mushroom Ragù
Our weeknight-simple, tomato-free ragù, packed with Italian sausage and meaty, umami-rich dried porcini mushrooms, comes together in just 45 minutes.
- Makes4 to 6 servings
- Cook Time40 minutes
- 4
Classic slow-simmered ragù bolognese isn’t a weeknight dinner option, but this simple tomato-free meat sauce can be tossed with pasta and on the table in under 45 minutes. For ease, we use Italian sausage, as it already is well seasoned; we opt for turkey or chicken sausage rather than pork, which has a fattiness that, we found, weighed down the dish. Make sure to purchase fresh sausage, not precooked; either mild or spicy will work. Dried porcini mushrooms provide a meaty, umami-packed flavor backbone, and just a small measure of heavy cream lends a rich, silky consistency. Wide noodles such as pappardelle or tagliatelle are ideal here, but fettuccine is good, too.
Don’t forget to break the porcini mushrooms into small pieces, rinse and drain them (to remove grit and dirt) before stirring them into the sauce. Rather than rehydrate the dried mushrooms before use, we save time by simmering them directly in the sauce, where they soften and release their savory flavor.
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