Tuscan Ragu Sauce

Have you ever been asked, "if you if were stranded on an island what food could you not live without?" Well mine would definitely be this sauce! Up until recently I was like most busy people. When preparing pasta I purchased store bought sauce and ta-DA dinner was done in a flash. Trust me I get it between our busy schedules of work, homework, and girl scout meetings preparing for a sauce when I could easily buy it in a jar at my local grocery sounded a little ridiculous. It wasn't until recently when I visited one of my favorite restaurants in my husbands hometown called Little Dagos that I was reminded of how classic homemade sauce is so much better than the store bought ones. Little Dagos is one of those hole in a wall places that embraces the rich history and art of preparing classic Italian food and let me tell you I've never left unhappy. After having a come to Jesus meeting with my taste buds I made it a quest to find a sauce that I could make that was authentic and delicious while saving me some time.

After stumbling across a few recipes over old cookbooks and the internet I finally came upon a recipe for classic ragu but decided to give my own twist to the recipe and created my own delicious Italian concoction. So get ready to fire up your stove and let the taste and smells of this sauce transport you to beautiful Italy!

Ciao

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: 6

Author: Maegan Johnson, Southern Essence

INGREDIENTS

• 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil

• 1/2 Onion finely diced

• 2 Carrots peeled and finely diced

• 2 Celery Stalks finely diced

• 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder

• salt

• pepper

• 1 cup Tomato Paste in a can

• 1 cup White Wine ( I used a sweet Moscato)

• 1lb. Mild Italian Sausage

• 2 cups Water

• 1/2 cup of Parmesan Cheese

• 8 Basil Leaves cut

• 1 lb. Pasta

• Instructions

• In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add diced onion, carrots, and celery and cook until tender. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Let cook for at least 13-15 minutes or until soften for the flavors to incorporate. Add garlic and let cook for 3 more minutes.

• Once you see the brown bits at the bottom add the tomato paste and stir. Add the white wine and cook for 5-7 minutes.

• Add sausage using a spoon to scoop tiny bits and cook until the meat is brown. About 10-15 minutes. Note** you can cook the sausage separately if you would like then add it.**

• Add water and stir to combine well and season again with salt and pepper.

• Bring sauce to a boil and reduce to low heat and let it simmer for about 15-20 minutes. Note ** The sauce is sweeter and adds more flavor the longer you cook it so if you can cook it on low heat for about 2 hours is best. You also may add more water as needed if you cook it this long.**

• Make pasta according to instructions on the package and add salt to the water to infuse the flavor.

• Top with basil leaves and Parmesan cheese.

• Enjoy!