Big-Batch 45-Minute Beef & Sausage Ragu with Spaghetti

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A deeply savory weeknight meat sauce that tastes like it simmered all afternoon but comes together in 45 minutes. Ground beef brings the body, Italian sausage brings the fennel-and-fat depth, and a splash of milk at the end rounds everything into something silky. The recipe makes a double batch on purpose — eat half tonight over spaghetti, freeze the other half for the night you have nothing planned.

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
• 2 medium carrots, finely chopped
• 2 stalks celery, finely chopped
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1.5 lb ground beef, 80/20
• 1 lb bulk Italian sausage (or links, casings removed)
• 3 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 cup dry red wine
• 2 28-oz cans whole peeled tomatoes, preferably San Marzano
• 1 cup low-sodium beef or chicken broth
• 1 piece Parmesan rind (optional)
• 2 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, torn
• freshly ground black pepper

• 1 lb spaghetti
• 2 tbsp kosher salt, for the pasta water
• 3 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1.5 cups Parmesan, finely grated, divided

Instructions

1. Set a large Dutch oven or 7-quart pot over medium heat and add the olive oil. Add the onion, carrot, and celery with a big pinch of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes, until softened and just starting to color. Stir in the garlic and cook 1 minute more.
2. Raise the heat to medium-high and add the ground beef and Italian sausage. Break the meat apart with a wooden spoon but then leave it alone for 4 to 5 minutes so the bottom browns properly — that crust is where the long-simmered flavor comes from. Stir and continue cooking 6 to 8 minutes total, until no pink remains and there are plenty of browned bits in the pot.
3. Push the meat to one side and spoon off all but about 2 tablespoons of the rendered fat. Add the tomato paste, oregano, and red pepper flakes directly to the hot spot in the pan and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes until the paste darkens to a brick red.
4. Pour in the red wine and scrape the bottom of the pot to release every browned bit. Simmer hard for 3 to 4 minutes until the liquid has reduced by about half and no longer smells sharp.
5. Add the canned tomatoes with their juice, crushing each one in your hand as you drop it in. Add the broth, Parmesan rind if using, 2 teaspoons kosher salt, and the sugar. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a steady, lazy simmer with bubbles breaking every second or two.
6. Simmer uncovered for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring every 8 minutes or so and scraping the bottom. The sauce is ready when it has thickened noticeably, a wooden spoon leaves a brief trail across the bottom of the pot, and orange fat pools at the edges. If it thickens too fast, add a splash of broth or water.
7. Stir in the whole milk and simmer 5 more minutes — it will look strange for a moment, then pull together into a glossier, rounder sauce. Fish out the Parmesan rind, stir in the torn basil, and season aggressively with black pepper and more salt to taste. You should have about 10 cups of ragu.
8. While the sauce finishes, bring 5 quarts of water to a rolling boil with 2 tablespoons kosher salt. Cook the spaghetti 1 minute shy of the package's al dente time, then reserve 2 cups of pasta water and drain.
9. Transfer 4 to 5 cups of the ragu to a large skillet or back into the emptied pasta pot (reserve the rest for the freezer). Add the drained spaghetti, the butter, 1 cup of the Parmesan, and 3/4 cup pasta water. Toss over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes until the sauce clings to every strand, adding more pasta water a splash at a time if it looks tight.
10. Serve immediately in warm bowls with the remaining Parmesan and extra basil. Cool the reserved ragu completely, then pack into two 1-quart freezer containers or zip-top bags, press flat, label, and freeze up to 3 months.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

More from Sprig Originals

One-Skillet Blackened Cajun Chicken Pasta

One-Pot Chicken Creole

Dark Roux Seafood Gumbo with Quick Shrimp Stock

Are you this recipe's original author or publisher? Report a problem