Growing up, I ate a lot of Ragu’, meat sauce, at my Italian grandparent’s house. My grandmother would make Ragu’ in so many different ways, even with fish! I swap out the ground beef and pork with ground chicken when I am in the mood for a lighter version. My daughter, Remington, actually prefers this recipe to the traditional one. What I love most about this meat sauce is every single region has its way of preparing it, and sometimes even within the region, different areas will have their traditional method of cooking Ragu’. I enjoy serving a bottle of Centanni Pecorino, from the Le Marche region, with this dish.
See ingredients, directions and pairings.
2 pounds Ground Chicken
3 28-ounce Cans of Imported Italian Tomatoes, crushed
4 tablespoons Tomato Paste, I like Mutti
1 cup Red Wine
1 Large White or Yellow Onion, chopped
2 Carrots, chopped
2 Celery Ribs, chopped
4 tablespoons EVOO
2 Dadi Cubes, these are Italian boullion. cubes
Pinch of Red Chili Pepper Flakes
Pinch of Sea Salt
In a large pot, I use a Dutch oven, heat the EVOO over medium-high heat.
Add the onions, carrots, and celery, and cook until the onions turn translucent.
Add the ground chicken and stir to combine until browned.
Add the tomato paste and reduce heat to low.
Add the crushed tomatoes and red wine, stirring to mix.
Drop in the Dadi, a pinch of sea salt and a pinch of red chili pepper flakes, stir to combine.
Simmer the sauce for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
Stir often, so the bottom does not scorch.
Serve over al dente pasta, like penne, topped with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
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