This corzetti pasta with white ragù is the perfect primo piatto for when you crave ragù but don’t have five hours of time or the strength to prepare it. Ragù bianco is essentially a tomato-free sugo di carne, a meat sauce made without tomato. Depending on the region, it can be prepared with pork, chicken, rabbit, veal or lamb.
In our family, we often make it by using a couple good-quality Tuscan sausages, salsicce. The result is incredibly hearty and flavorful. The beauty of white ragù is that there is no coded formula and no hours of simmering. You only prepare a rough soffritto with carrots, celery and onion and then add the meat and cook it until brown and caramelized. As with all recipes that require just a bunch of ingredients, quality is essential here so make sure you use the best ingredients you can find.
Corzetti Pasta with White Ragù
- 1 carrot
- 1 celery stalk
- 1/2 white onion
- 2 pork sausages
- extra virgin olive oil
- 1 glass of dry white wine
- salt and pepper
- parmiano reggiano, grated, to serve
First of all, make your soffritto by roughly chopping the carrot, celery and onion. Set aside.
Cover the bottom of a large saucepan with extra virgin olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the soffritto and sauté over medium heat until the vegetables become soft and brown.
Now add the sausages, minced, and cook, stirring frequently until the meat has brown and caramelized. When the sausage starts to dry, add one glass of white wine and let evaporate. Continue cooking for a few minutes, until the ragù bianco gets the desired consistency.
In the meantime, prepare the corzetti pasta and cook them until al dente. Drain and toss the pasta with the white ragù, divide among plates and top with freshly grated parmigiano reggiano.