Creole Sunday Ragu with Andouille Sausage

Made with Love!

Every family I know has a Sunday tradition. Often times in my family making a pot of Ragu is what we do on Sundays. I love Italian food and making a Ragu is serious business and should be made with a happy heart.  This is not a traditional marinara type spaghetti sauce, it's meat based more of a rich tomato-ie (if that's even a word) type gravy.

You can add any types of meat you prefer, and since I am Creole, I decided to add none other than tasty, smokey, andouille sausage to my Ragu. I also used ground turkey but veal, beef, pork and or chicken would also work well in this dish.

I have used short ribs, whole Italian sausage and oxtails in my Creole Sunday Ragu as well. Make sure to pre-brown the ox tails and short ribs before adding them to the pot.

This dish starts off with the trinity which consist of bell pepper, onion, celery and sometimes garlic. The trinity is sauteed in extra virgin olive oil. The key to this Sunday Ragu is allowing the sauce to cook low and slow for as much time as you have available.

It's also important to cook the tomato paste for at least 5 minutes to pop open the flavors. I got this idea years ago from Rao's, he was making Ragu with one of my favorite ladies Martha Stewart, and he said this is key and I have been cooking my Ragu this way every since.

I suggest putting the ragu on early, and allowing it to cook for a few hours, uncovered. The reason I leave it uncovered is because I don't want the steam diluting my great sauce.

Serve Creole Sunday Ragu with whatever pasta you have on hand. I used spaghetti but rigatoni and penne also work well. Have a side of Romano cheese to top off the pasta with. Eat Up!

Creole Sunday Ragu with Andouille Sausage

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes up to 4 hours
Servings: 6

Ingredients:

1 lb andouille sausage, sliced 1/2 inch
1 lb ground turkey
1 lb pasta, cooked according to directions
1 red onion, diced
1 bell pepper, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1/2 bunch Italian parsley, minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 c. chicken broth
1 28oz can crushed tomatoes
1 6oz can tomato paste
1 tbsp. black pepper
1 tbsp. creole seasoning or seasoning salt
1 tbsp. garlic powder
1 tbsp. onion powder
1 tbsp. Italian seasonings
1 tsp. crushed red pepper
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

Mix seasonings and set aside.

In a large soup pot heated over medium heat add 2 tablespoon of olive oil, add onion, bell pepper, and celery. Saute for about 5 minutes, add garlic and cook 1 minute more. Add ground turkey and break apart.  Season with 1 tablespoons of seasoning blend and cook until browned about 10 minutes. Add sliced andouille and brown for about 5 minutes more.

Add tomato paste and mix well, cook for 5 more minutes. Season with 1 tablespoon more of spice blend and mix well. Add tomato sauce and chicken broth, season with remaining seasoning blend and mix well. Lower heat to medium-low and cook uncovered for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add chopped parsley and mix well and allow sauce to cook about 15 more minutes.

Serve with warm pasta.

Note: To cook pasta, bring a large stock pot full of water to boil. Add about 1 teaspoon of salt and cook according to pasta directions. Drain pasta, rinse in hot water if desired and drain again, add about 1 tablespoon of olive oil to coat pasta and prevent sticking. Set aside until ready to use.