Sausage Ragu with Goat Cheese Polenta

This sausage ragu is the perfect comfort meal for a cold and rainy day. Italian sausages get browned then cooked down with garlic, onions and cherry tomatoes to make a beautiful rustic sauce. But that's not all, greens get added for extra fibre, then simmered until soft. Serve it with some bread, or pasta, but the best option is polenta mixed with creamy goat cheese. If you've never tried it, this is your sign!

Equipment

Here's everything you need to make sausage ragu with creamy goat cheese polenta: 

• chef's knife
• cutting board
• large sauce pan or dutch oven
• small sauce pan
• wooden spoon or spatula
• colander or salad spinner

Get the full ingredients list and instructions below!

Sausage Ragu with Creamy Goat Cheese Polenta

5 from 1 vote

Polenta is the greatest thing to ever happen to this ragu

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Servings: 2

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 3 Italian sausages about 350g
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 small yellow onion
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 300 g cherry tomatoes
• 150 g hearty green like chard, kale or collards washed and roughly chopped
• 100 g goat cheese plus more for serving
• ¾ cup instant polenta
• olive oil
• salt I'm using Diamond Crystal Kosher
• cracked black pepper

Method

 

1. Thinly slice 4 garlic cloves and 1 small yellow onion. Next, cut the length of each sausage to break the casing. Remove the casings and discard.
2. Heat a large sauce pan or dutch oven on medium. Once hot, add 2 tablespoon olive oil. When the oil is shimmering, add your sausage meat in bite-sized pieces, leaving a little space between each piece for maximum browning. Let cook until golden brown on one side, then use a wooden spoon to break into smaller pieces. Let cook until ⅓ of the meat is deep golden brown and caramelized.
3. When the sausage is cooked through, push it to one side of the pan leaving a pool of oil on the other. To the oil, add sliced garlic and sliced onion. Season with ½ teaspoon salt and let cook until slightly softened.
4. When your kitchen smells of delicious garlic, add tomato paste and mix it into the onions and garlic first, then throughout the pan, incorporating the sausage. Let that cook until slightly caramelized, about 3-5 minutes.
5. Add cherry tomatoes and continue cooking until they begin to burst. Use the back of your spoon to break the tomatoes and mix their juices into the dish, scraping any fond that's built up on the bottom of the pan.
6. Once all the tomatoes have burst, add ¼ cup water and 150g washed and chopped greens. Season with ½ teaspoon salt and bring to a very light simmer. Let cook while you make your polenta.
7. In a small sauce pan, bring 3 cups of water and 1 teaspoon salt to boil. Slowly whisk in ¾ cup polenta, breaking up any clumps as you go. Reduce heat to a simmer, and continue mixing until the polenta begins to pull away from the sides of the pan, about 5 minutes. When you stick your spoon into the middle of the pot it should stand on its own without falling. Mix in 160g goat cheese, taste and adjust seasoning.
8. By now the sausage and tomato sauce should be slightly reduced and thickened. Serve on the polenta with more goat cheese and a few cracks of black pepper.

Notes

• Don't fuss about drying the greens when you wash them! The extra water in the pan won't ruin anything.
• If you can't be bothered to make polenta, this would also be great on pasta or served with crusty bread.

Tag me @stefsdinnerdate on Instagram and TikTok if you make it! I love seeing your creations.