The key to making great meat sauces for pasta is time. Whether you use ground beef, veal, lamb, or pork, as in this recipe, give the sauce a few hours to develop the deepest flavors of the meat, tomatoes, and vegetables.
Meat Sauce and Italian Ragu
Authentic Italian ragu is made with more than one kind of meat. A common duo is ground veal and ground pork, although both meats don’t always have to be ground. Sliced prosciutto and pancetta also “count” as a second meat in Italian ragu.
This recipe includes only one kind of meat, so it is not officially a ragu. But it does make a hearty, rich meat sauce that gets its substance not only from ground pork but also from earthy, meaty mushrooms. Like the pork, the mushrooms stand up well to a long, slow simmer and develop robust flavors that don’t have time to build in a quickly made sauce.
Pasta with Meat Sauce and Mushrooms
Serves 6
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil, divided
- 1 lb ground pork
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
- 12 oz white, button mushrooms
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 28-oz can good-quality crushed tomatoes
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp dried Italian herb mix
- 1 bay leaf
- sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 12 oz spaghetti, fettuccini, or linguini
- Parmigiano-Reggiano, for grating
Preparation
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add the pork and cook 8 minutes until just cooked through, breaking up into small chunks as it cooks. Remove the pork to a bowl. Do not wipe out the skillet.
- Heat the other 1 tablespoon of oil in the skillet and add the onion and bell pepper. Sauté 3-4 minutes.
- Add the mushrooms and garlic and cook 4-5 minutes, until most of the liquid from the mushrooms has been absorbed.
- Return pork and any accumulated juices to the skillet. Add the crushed tomatoes, sugar, Worcestershire sauce, dried herbs, and bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper and stir well to combine.
- Bring the sauce to a simmer, then reduce heat to low, cover, and cook slowly for 3 hours. (Don’t let the sauce boil.) Remove the bay leaf before serving.
- Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain.
- Divide the pasta among six bowls or plates and spoon the sauce on top. Pass Parmigiano-Reggiano at the table, if desired.
Pamela Steed Hill - Pamela Steed Hill is an editor, freelance writer, and home cook. She has published over 250 food articles and recipes online.
