Made with egg-rich thin pasta noodles known as tajarin, and a local fresh Italian beef sausage (salsiccia di Bra), this traditional pasta recipe comes from Piedmont (Piemonte), Northern Italy. Tajarin pasta with sausage ragu is a fantastic example of the wonderful cuisine in this region.
This recipe is easy to make and perfect for family meals or entertaining. Of course, you can use other egg noodles and types of beef sausage.
The cuisine in Piedmont (Piemonte).
Italian food and wine lovers are sure to know some of the traditional foods and wines from Piemonte. This is the region that gave the world Nutella and Ferrero Rocher. It’s famous for white truffles and Barolo wine, vitello tonnato and grissini (bread sticks), panna cotta and baci di dama.
Pasta in Piemonte.
When it comes to pasta, like other northern Italian regions, traditional pasta types are mostly fresh egg noodles or types of filled pasta. The most well-known of the former is the tajarin (tagliolini) served with this sausage ragu, and hazelnut tagliatelle.
Popular filled pasta from Piemonte include agnolotti del plin and agnolotti. The region is also famous for some of the best types of gnocchi!
Piedmontese cattle.
Every Italian region has its locally made salumi and sausages. Piemonte is no exception. In fact, the meats and cured meats here are the basis of many of the region’s best dishes. They even have a local breed of cattle known as ‘Razza Piemontese’ (Piedmontese cattle).
This cattle breed is well-known for the low fat and high protein content of its meat, which is said to have 20% less calories than salmon but 10% more protein. It also has much less cholesterol than other prime beef.
Piedmontese beef is so tender and light that locals often eat it raw in a type of beef tartare and it’s also used to make the sausage used in this tajarin pasta recipe, salsiccia di Bra. This sausage is traditionally eaten raw too, but it also makes a wonderful ragu .
What is Salsiccia di Bra (Bra sausage)?
Bra Piedmontese beef sausages come from the city of Bra in the Cuneo province of Piemonte. They are probably the only well-known Italian beef sausage. Historically, they were made with only beef but nowadays some butchers make them with 15% pork belly. The production of these sausages dates back to the Middle Ages.
The history of Bra sausages.
A few kilometres from Bra lies the village of Cherasco. Dating back to the 11th century, and surrounded by fortified walls, this village was home to a historic Jewish community. During the Middle Ages, the inhabitants of Cherasco often went to the Bra market to get supplies from the market gardeners, bakers and butchers.
Because the Jewish community didn’t consume pork, the butchers of Bra began to make special veal sausages for them. A few centuries later, the governing body of the Kingdom of Italy passed a law to protect the production of Bra sausages, limiting the production area to ensure that they could not be produced anywhere else.
Unlike pork sausages, the Bra sausage can be eaten raw, and thanks to the quality of the Piedmontese beef and the consumer culture that has developed around the product, you can still buy this sausage or enjoy it in local restaurants, many of which serve it as in this tajarin pasta recipe.
The recipe for Bra beef sausages changes slightly from butcher to butcher. But the basic ingredients remain the finest veal or beef, salt, pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg.
Some add Parmigiano or grana or aged robiola or toma cheese, as well as white wine and maybe garlic, fennel or leeks. Some butchers also include pork belly, thus choosing to produce a sausage that is no longer kosher.
What is Tajarin pasta?
Tajarin is the name given to a type of tagliolini made in Piemonte. Tagliolini is very fine egg pasta noodles similar to tagliatelle but a lot narrower. The difference between tagliolini and tajarin is that the latter are very egg yolk rich. In fact, some chefs make this pasta using up to 30-40 egg yolks per kilo of flour! Yes 40!
The most famous and gastronomic way to eat tajarin is with white truffles from the city of Alba in Piemonte. However, other typical dishes with this pasta are the tajarin with salsiccia di Bra in this recipe or alla langarola, a ragu of sausage, chicken liver and porcini mushrooms from the beautiful Langhe area, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Other types of sausage you can use.
I think this tajarin pasta with beef sausage ragu can be made with Italian pork sausages. It will still be delicious. But, if you can use good quality fresh beef sausages instead, the flavour will be more authentic.
Piedmontese beef products are available in the USA and Ireland (Info I could find). In fact, there are a number of Piedmontese cattle farms in both countries. I suggest searching online for Piedmontese beef sausages.
Where did I get my tajarin pasta and Bra sausage?
I was lucky enough to be able to buy the fresh pasta and Italian beef sausage I used in this tajarin recipe from Piemonte. I ordered everything online from a company in Torino called Biraghia Casa.
They specialize in food and wine from Piemonte. My order, which included Arneis wine and Bra alpine cheese, arrived in a still cold Styrofoam box in less than 24 hours!
Other ingredients and substitutions.
Apart from the tajarin pasta and the Piedmontese beef sausage, this recipe calls for some ground veal, shallot, celery and carrot, garlic, tomato passata, broth, wine, a bay leaf and rosemary.
Ground veal.
Veal is a lot lighter in colour and has a more delicate flavour than beef. Veal is also lower in fat and calories and is rich in protein and iron. Nutritionally it’s better per ounce than beef or chicken! However, if you don’t like to use veal, you can leave it out or use lean ground beef instead.
Shallots or onions?
Shallots are sweeter than onions and have a more subtle flavour. They are also more nutrient dense. Shallots add a little sharpness to this sausage ragu without overpowering the other flavours. Of course, you can use onions instead. Yellow onions are the closest to shallots as they are quite sweet and mild too.
The soffritto.
Like many Italian meat sauces, the base for this beef sausage ragu is a soffritto of sautéed finely chopped vegetables (carrots, celery, onion/shallots). Soffritto is the Italian version of the French mirepoix. Apart from onions, celery and carrots, Italian soffritto can also sometimes include garlic, as in this tajarin recipe.
The wine.
You can make this recipe with red or white wine, or even leave it out. I used Arneis a well-known Piemontese white wine from the same part of the region as this recipe. Arneis is actually the name of the grape variety used to make the wine. Arneis grapes are indigenous to Piemonte, and the wine is medium to full bodied and low in acidity.
We discovered Arneis wine during a trip to the Langhe some years ago. I bought some specifically to enjoy with this tajarin pasta recipe! I used a little in the sausage ragu and we drank the rest with our meal! You can learn more about Arneis on Wikipedia.
The tomato passata and broth.
This Piedmontese beef sausage ragu contains less tomato passata (purée) than other ragu recipes. In fact, the liquid in this sauce is half vegetable broth and half passata, plus a little wine. So, it has a less intense tomato flavour and lower acidity than other tomato based ragus.
Why this beef sausage ragu is so good!
The use of veal instead of beef, shallots instead of onions and diluted passata all contribute to making the flavour of the beef sausages shine through in this Piemontese ragu. The sausage is very slightly sweet and so flavourful. Definitely, one to try!
How to make tajarin (tagliolini) with beef sausage ragu.
1) Gather and prepare your ingredients. Wash and chop the carrot and celery. Peel and chop the shallot or onion, Peel and chop the garlic. Remove the sausage meat from the casing and crumble it. Wash and chop the fresh rosemary leaves (if using).
2) Sauté the shallot, carrot and celery in a deep skillet or Dutch oven with three tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Add the garlic and rosemary and sauté a little longer.
3) Then add the ground veal and brown it for a few minutes.
4) Next, put the crumbled sausage meat into the pan with some salt and pepper to taste. Brown the sausage slightly and then pour in the wine. Let the alcohol evaporate.
5) Add the tomato passata and some of the vegetable broth.
6) Mix everything together and add the bay leaf. Turn the heat down, cover the pot and let your ragu simmer for at least one hour. (2 is even better). Check and stir the ragu every 20 minutes or so. If it seems to be drying out, add more vegetable broth.
Cook the pasta and serve.
If you are using fresh tajarin or tagliolini, the pasta will cook very quickly (2 minutes!). Of course, you can serve this beef sausage ragu with other pasta such as tagliatelle or even spaghetti.
Once the ragu is ready, put a pot of water onto boil for the pasta. Add salt once it starts to boil and bring to the boil again. Cook the pasta al dente, drain it and add it to the sausage ragu.
Mix everything together very gently. Fresh tagliolini is quite delicate and may break if you mix too vigorously. Serve immediately with some grated Parmigiano or grana if required.
What to do with leftovers.
If you have leftover ragu, you can freeze it for 3 months in a sealed container or store in the fridge for 3 days. Reheat in the microwave or on the stove stop.
Leftover pasta mixed with ragu can be kept in the fridge in a sealed container for up to 3 days and reheated in the microwave or on the stove top with a little water or vegetable stock.
Let me know what you think.
The combination of melt in your mouth fine egg tajarin or tagliolini and the slightly sweet beef sausage ragu makes this recipe a truely gastronomic experience. Eating this dish in Piemonte is on my bucket list. But, even homemade, this is a fantastic dish that everyone will fall in love with!
If you do try this recipe, I’d love to hear what you think. Please write a comment here on the blog or post a comment on the Pasta Project Facebook page.
Your feedback means a lot to me!
Buon appetito!
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Tajarin (tagliolini) pasta with beef sausage ragu recipe.
Equipment
- 1 Dutch oven or deep skillet
- 1 large pot for pasta
Ingredients
- 11.5 oz tajarin or tagliolini fine egg noodles or tagliatelle
- 9 oz fresh beef sausage removed from casing
- 5 oz ground veal or lean beef
- 1 shallot peeled and finely chopped or yellow onion.
- 2 carrots finely chopped
- 2 celery stalks finely chopped
- 1 large garlic clove peeled and chopped
- 9 oz tomato passata
- 14 floz vegetable broth Start with half and then add more as needed.
- 3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil.
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary or dried.
- 1 bay leaf
- salt for pasta and to taste
- freshly ground black pepper. to taste
- 2.5 floz dry white wine
- Parmigiano Reggiano grated for serving (optional)
Instructions
Prep the ingredients.
- Wash and chop the carrot and celery. Peel and chop the shallot or onion, Peel and chop the garlic. Remove the sausage meat from the casing and crumble it. Wash and chop the fresh rosemary leaves (if using).
Make the beef sausage ragu.
- Sauté the shallot, carrot and celery in a deep skillet or Dutch oven with three tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Add the garlic and rosemary and sauté a little longer.
- Then add the ground veal and brown it for a few minutes. Next add the sausage meat and brown a little too. You may need to break the sausage meat up more using a fork or wooden spoon.
- Pour in the wine and turn up the heat until the alcohol evaporates. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to scrap free any bits that have stuck to the bottom of the pan.
- Turn down the heat and add the tomato passata and half the broth, plus salt and pepper to taste.
- Mix everything together and add the bay leaf. Cover the pot and let your ragu simmer for at least one hour. (2 is even better). Check and stir the ragu every 20 minutes or so. If it seems to be drying out, add more vegetable broth.
Cook the pasta and serve.
- Once the ragu is ready, put a pot of water onto boil for the pasta. Add salt once it starts to boil and bring to the boil again. Cook the pasta al dente, drain it and add it to the sausage ragu.
- Mix everything together very gently. Fresh tagliolini is quite delicate and may break if you mix too vigorously. Serve immediately with some grated Parmigiano or grana if required.
Notes
Nutrition
If you are interested in learning how to make other homemade pasta and different types of gnocchi, check out my shop page for some great video online courses from my friends in Rome! Nothing beats learning to make pasta from Italians!
Plus while you’re there why not order a copy of one of my pasta recipe cookbooks or checkout some recommended pasta making tools?
Noelle says
This pasta with beef sausage is gorgeous... the step by step photos were helpful! Thanks for the tips on properly cooking the pasta!
Mindy S says
A tasty pasta recipe. Made it last night and my whole family loved it. Served it with some red wine and it was a wonderful meal.
Tristin says
This sauce was incredible and tasted like it had cooked all day! I used all ground beef in mine, still delish!
Lori | The Kitchen Whisperer says
WOW I love learning about pasta dishes like this! This looks amazing and so easy! I'm heading to our Italian market tomorrow as they said they carry this type of sausage. This has all of the flavors we love and I just know it'll be exceptional! Hello, Monday night pasta dinner!
Tammy says
Oooh this is my idea of comfort food. Looks so perfect and delicious! I have to make this for my family this week..they'll love it!
Sean says
Oh man was this pasta good. I hadn't even heard of that kind of sausage. Luckily there is an Italian market near me and I am obsessed now.
Kathryn says
I've never had this but it was so delicious and glad I tried it. I loved how hearty it was with all the proteins. Will be making this again!! 🙂
Sharon says
The veal and sausage made a fantastic combination in this pasta dish. I loved the flavors meld together as it cooks.
Colleen says
This pasta looks amazing. I just ordered some tajarin pasta from Amazon (surprisingly they had it!) and can't wait to try this dish.
Marta says
I had to use tagliatelle in place of the tajarin because I couldn't find the latter in my shop, but the beef ragú really redeemed my substitution. It was so flavorful and comforting.