Braised Pork Ragu (Printable Recipe)

Pork shoulder and sausage go soft and juicy after simmering in tomatoes. Mix with noodles for a filling Italian classic.

# Ingredients You'll Need:

→ For the Ragu

01 - 225 g sweet Italian pork sausage, casings removed
02 - 1 tsp dried oregano or 1 tbsp fresh oregano, finely chopped
03 - 1 tsp dried thyme or 1 tbsp fresh thyme, finely chopped
04 - 2 bay leaves
05 - 795 g canned whole tomatoes, pureed
06 - 795 g canned crushed tomatoes
07 - 240 ml dry red wine
08 - 4 garlic cloves, minced
09 - 1 carrot, finely chopped
10 - 1 large onion, finely chopped
11 - Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
12 - Salt, to taste
13 - 900 g pork shoulder, trimmed and cut into large chunks
14 - 15 ml olive oil

→ For the Pasta

15 - 900 g dried or fresh pasta, thick noodles like fettuccine work best

→ To Serve

16 - Shredded parmesan cheese, as much as you like

# Steps to Follow:

01 - Spoon the pasta and sauce onto plates, then sprinkle plenty of parmesan over each just before digging in.
02 - Put the drained noodles back in their pot. Pour in half a cup of your reserved pasta water, along with a few big scoops of the sauce. Toss over low heat so the sauce clings to the noodles, adding more water if it seems dry.
03 - While the sauce is finishing, get a big pot of salty water to a rolling boil. Drop in your noodles, cook them how you like, save about a cup of the pasta water, and drain.
04 - Pull out the pork pieces and shred them into bits with forks. Dump that shredded pork right back in the pot. Taste it—add more salt, pepper, or herbs if you think it needs it. Keep the pot barely bubbling without the lid to let things meld together.
05 - Toss the seared pork back in. Pinch the sausage meat into little chunks and let them fall into the pot. Turn up the heat to get things bubblin’ again, then drop it low, slap on the lid, and let it gently simmer for 3 to 3 1/2 hours (give it a stir every now and then). The pork will be falling-apart tender.
06 - Pour in both kinds of tomatoes, the bay leaves, oregano, and thyme. Stir it all together really well.
07 - Kick the heat up a notch, pour in your red wine, and let it come to a boil. Scrape anything stuck on the pot’s bottom. Let it go for 5 minutes till it’s reduced a bit and smells amazing.
08 - Turn the burner down a bit. Chuck in onion, carrot, and garlic with a little salt. Cook, giving it frequent stirs, until the onion’s translucent—should take about eight minutes.
09 - Build up heat under a big sturdy pot, pour in that olive oil. Sprinkle salt and pepper over pork chunks. When oil’s hot, brown the pork on every side (about 3 min each side), then move them to a bowl for now.

# Extra Tips:

01 - For more flavor and a little kick, use some or all hot Italian sausage instead of sweet.
02 - You can make the sauce on top of the stove, bake it in the oven at 165°C, or swap to a slow cooker. Freezes great in meal-sized containers.
03 - Want a thicker sauce? Stick with just crushed tomatoes. Need it runnier? Use only pureed tomatoes.

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