What is a ragu bianco?

A ragu is an Italian meat based sauce, usually slow cooked and served with pasta. Yum. A bianco or white ragu uses white wine and cream rather than tomatoes and red wine. It’s a lighter, creamier flavour but still gives all the complexities of a ragu.

A good white ragu sauce recipe should have layers of complex flavours of meat like pork - I’ve used sausage and guanciale, along with vegetables, spices, wine, stock, parmesan cheese and cream, all melding together to make an irresistibly delicious sauce.

Using sausage to make your ragu instead of ground pork takes it to a whole new level, without a whole lot of effort. Let the stove top do the work I say.

Does a ragu have to be slow cooked?

Actually no! While it is typically a slow cook dish, you can make a quick ragu if using meat like sausage. This is the perfect busy night recipe, because it comes together quickly, but the flavours are worthy enough for a night of dinner party entertaining or a simple date night in.

Make a double batch, because, yum. You can freeze the leftovers and easily reheat. Knowing you have a supply of sausage ragu just waiting for you when you need it is a pretty good feeling.

What is the best pasta for a ragu?

I’ve used mafaldine pasta because to me, a ragu is the perfect mafaldine pasta recipe. It’s fun to eat and looks beautiful too!

What should you serve with a sausage ragu bianco?

Make a simple salad to go along with it, like this pear and rocket salad. If you’re entertaining and want to serve an appetizer, you can’t go past this whipped brown butter. Serve it with fresh sourdough. I also suggest a simple crudo, it’s nice and light, simple to prepare and keeps in the Italian theme.

Cooking tips

For this recipe, you need to remove the sausage outer casing and just cook the meat, it's super easy. I explain it in the instructions, but be sure to watch the video for a visual demonstration.