Made with two much loved Venetian ingredients, this bigoli pasta with luganega sausage is a must try for sausage pasta lovers. The sauce comprises sweet Italian sausage, fresh tomatoes, onion, broth and wine simmered together until rich and flavorful. The sauce is then tossed with a local thick spaghetti known as bigoli. Of course, you can use other pasta instead.
Before moving to Italy more than 20 years ago, I had actually never eaten pasta with sausage ragu. However, it’s now one of my favourite ways to serve pasta when I want a quick and hearty meat sauce, especially during the colder months!
This bigoli pasta with luganega sausage is traditional in Veneto, the region I live in. However, you can find many different Italian sausage pasta recipes throughout the country as each of Italy’s 20 regions produces both its own kind of pork sausages and pasta types.
This is one of a number of pasta with sausage ragu recipes, I have published so far. Among my favorites are gramigna with sausage from Bologna and Sardinian Gnocchi (malloreddus) with sausage and saffron. But there are many more.
Check out my collection of 20 sausage pasta recipes for other traditional sausage pasta dishes worth trying. Each dish tastes different because of the type of sausage used, the pasta and the other ingredients.
What is Luganega Sausage?
Every Italian region produces local types of pork sausage, the ingredients of which vary from place to place even when the sausage has the same name. This is very much the case for luganega sausage, which is a long coiled sausage not divided into smaller links. Luganega is sometimes called ‘salsiccia al metro’ (sausage by the metre) because in some places it’s sold by the metre!
Luganega is usually a fresh pork sausage made from the cheek or neck of the pig, although in some regions they use the pork shoulder or rib meat as well. It is particularly popular in Northern and Central Italy, although it apparently originated in Basilicata, where it is known as ‘lucanica’ or ‘lucania’. There locals say this sausage was popular with the Roman legions stationed in the region and they were the ones who brought it to the North of Italy.
Different types of luganega sausage.
In Basilicata, some ‘lucania’ are made with wild fennel, others with red chili pepper (peperoncino). Here in Veneto, one type of this sausage has rice in it as well as spices such as cloves, cinnamon, coriander and nutmeg. In Lombardy, the most famous luganega come from Monza where they make it with Parmesan or Grana cheese, Marsala wine and meat broth and serve it in a risotto and in a pasta recipe called pasta alla monzese!
There are other well-known types of this sausage made in Trentino-Alto Adige, Lombardy and here in Veneto. Many of these are used in pasta or risotto dishes, but luganega is also eaten grilled or cooked with vegetables. For this recipe for bigoli pasta with luganega sausage, I used one of the simplest Venetian luganega (luganeghe in the local dialect) slightly flavoured with pepper and garlic.
Bigoli the most traditional pasta in Veneto!
The pasta for this recipe is also Venetian. Known as bigoli, this usually fresh pasta is very particular to Veneto and not usually made or eaten in other regions except Eastern Lombardy. Bigoli is made with flour, eggs (often duck eggs), salt, water or milk and sometimes butter. It’s shaped like very thick spaghetti with a diameter of about 3-4mm.
Traditionally bigoli was made with a press called a torchio or bigolaro which had to be wound by hand as the pasta dough passed through the holes in the bottom. You can read more about the history of bigoli in this other post.
Using other types of sausage you can use.
There are a number of companies in UK and US that make Italian luganega (luganica) sausages. However , if you can’t find this sausage where you live, you can also use other types of fresh Italian pork sausage. In fact, these are available in many UK or US supermarkets or butchers.
Some Italian sausages will probably be flavoured with fennel, which adds a slightly different but tasty flavour to the sauce. The important thing is that the sausage has a mild even slightly sweet flavour. So, for this recipe I wouldn’t use sausages with chili (peperoncino) in them. It’s better to add some fresh or dried chili when making the sauce if you want it to be a little spicy.
Other main ingredients.
Apart from the sausage and pasta all you need for this bigoli pasta recipe is cherry tomatoes, white onion, white wine and meat broth, plus some fresh parsley when serving.
Tomatoes: I used ripe cherry tomatoes in this recipe. You can also use larger grape or vine tomatoes cut into quarter or even canned peeled cherry tomatoes if fresh aren’t available. However, canned tomatoes will change the consistency and flavor of the sauce.
Onion: The Italian recipe I followed called for a white onion. These onions are softer and more tender than other onions and disintegrate into the sauce. You can use yellow onion instead.
White wine: I used a local Soave classico from the area I live in. Other dry white wines that work well in this recipe are Pinot Grigio, Verdicchio and Sauvignon Blanc.
Meat broth: The broth is what adds liquid to this sausage sauce along with the juice from the fresh tomatoes and the wine. However, you only need about 1.5-2 cups. I used a ready made meat broth but you can also use a stock cube dissoled in water.
Fresh parsley: Fresh parsley is a common ingredient in many Italian dishes. It adds a fresh herby flavor. In this recipe the parsley is added to the sauce and sprinkled over the dish before serving. I don’t recommend using dried herbs.
Step by step instructions.
First prepare the onion, sausage, parsley and tomatoes. Peel and finely chop the onion, decase and crumble the sausage, halve the cherry tomatoes and chop the fresh parsley.
Step 1 Sauté the onion in olive oil until it starts to soften then add the crumbled sausage meat and brown it.
2. Add half a glass of white wine and turn up the heat and let the alcohol evaporate.
3. Next, add the chopped parsley, halved fresh tomatoes and the stock.
4. Simmer uncovered on a low to medium heat for 20-25 minutes. Stir occasionally. Add salt and pepper to taste.
5. While the sauce is cooking, boil a pan of water for the pasta. Add salt once the water starts to boil and bring to the boil again. Cook the pasta al dente according to the instructions on the packet.
6. When the pasta is cooked, drain it and add it to the pan with the sausage ragu. Mix the pasta and the sauce together.
Finally, Serve immediately with some more fresh parsley.
What to do with leftovers.
Leftover bigoli pasta with sausage can be kept in the fridge in an air-tight container for 2-3 days. You can reheat it in the microwave, on the stovetop with some added broth or even bake it in the oven with some grated cheese on top. If you have leftover sausage ragu, you can freeze it for up to 3 months. However, I don’t recommend freezing ragu already mixed with pasta.
Let me know what you think.
If you have never tried pasta with sausage ragu and like the idea, this bigoli pasta with luganega sausage recipe is a great one to start with. Apart from the sausage, it includes just a few other simple ingredients. These are mainly onion, wine, tomatoes and stock.
It doesn’t take long to make this dish and it is very very tasty. I promise you! In fact, I’m sure it will be loved by whoever you make it for. In Italy, it’s a firm favourite among young and old alike.
If you make this bigoli recipe, I’d love to hear how it turns out and if you liked it. Please leave a comment here on the blog or on The Pasta Project Facebook page.
Looking forward to hearing from you!
Buon Appetito!
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Venetian bigoli pasta with Luganega sausage
A very tasty and easy to make pasta with sausage ragu recipe from Veneto, which pairs sweet Italian luganega sausage with Venetian bigoli pasta. Of course, you can use other pasta instead. Makes a great family meal or weeknight dinner.
Ingredients
- 14 ounces bigoli pasta You can also use bucatini, thick spaghetti or short pasta like penne
- 9 ounces luganega sausage or other fresh sweet Italian pork sausage
- 1 white onion peeled and finely chopped
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil.
- 1 handful fresh parsley chopped
- 1 cup beef broth or stock cube dissolved in water
- 2.5 ounces dry white wine
- 14 ounces fresh cherry tomatoes or canned and peeled cherry tomatoes
- salt for pasta and to taste
- black pepper to taste
Optional ingredients
- 1 ounce parmigiano, grana or pecorino for serving
- 1 teaspoon peperoncino flakes (optional)
- 1 tablespoon tomato concentrate
Instructions
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Remove the skin from the sausage and break the meat into small piece with your hands or a knife. You want the sausage pieces to be quite small but not as fine as minced meat. Halve the cherry tomatoes. Peel and chop the onion and wash and chop the fresh parsley.
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Heat the olive oil in a frying pan or skillet. Add the peeled and chopped onion and peperoncino flakes (if required). Cook until the onion starts to soften.
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Add the sausage meat to the frying pan and brown it.
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Add half a glass of white wine and turn up the heat. When the alcohol has evaporated add the chopped parsley, halved fresh tomatoes and the stock.
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Simmer uncovered on a low to medium heat for 20-25 minutes. Stir occasionally. Add salt and pepper to taste.
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While the sauce is cooking, boil a pan of water for the pasta. Add salt once the water starts to boil and bring to the boil again.
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Cook the pasta al dente according to the instructions on the packet.
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When the pasta is cooked, drain it and add it to the pan with the sausage ragu. Mix the pasta and the sauce together well
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Serve immediately with grated Grana or Parmigiano if required and more chopped parsley.
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Notes
There are a number of companies in UK, Ireland, Australia and US that make Italian luganega (lucanica) sausages however, if you can’t find this sausage you can also use other types of fresh Italian pork sausage. Some of these will probably be flavoured with fennel, which adds a slightly different but tasty flavour to the sauce. For this recipe I wouldn’t use sausages with chili in them but rather add some fresh or dried chili when making the sauce if you want it a little spicy.
Cooks tip: Italians add salt to pasta water after it starts to boil. This prevents the salt damaging the pot and means the water will boil faster.
Nutrition
Calories: 703kcalCarbohydrates: 81gProtein: 25gFat: 29gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 15gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 46mgSodium: 649mgPotassium: 687mgFiber: 4gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 618IUVitamin C: 26mgCalcium: 50mgIron: 3mg
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