Fennel & Tomato Ragù with Fennel Sausage
Fennel & Tomato Ragù with Fennel Sausage is a perfect weeknight dinner. Slooooooow cooked & caramelised fennel, stewed in crushed tomatoes and studded with crispy fried fennel sausage. Yeah baby! Ok, I said slow cooked, but really you just need 20 minutes or so for the fennel and onions to soften and caramelise. In the meantime you can pan fry the gnocchi. All in all this little dish took me about 45 minutes to make.
Tip: don’t have fennel sausage? Then just use regular sausages and add a few spoons of fennel seeds to fry along. It really works a charm! Crispy, golden, and packed with flavour, adding just the right amount of punchy, spiced goodness to every bite.
And let’s not forget the gnocchi! Pan-fried until golden and slightly crisp on the outside, these little pillows of joy bring the perfect balance of texture to the dish. Whether you’re scooping up that luscious ragù with gnocchi, pasta, or a chunk of crusty bread, one thing’s for sure—every bite is pure comfort.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
✔️ Big, Bold Flavors – Sweet fennel, rich tomato, and crispy sausage = a dream combo.
✔️ Surprisingly Quick – All the depth of slow-cooked ragù in under an hour.
✔️ Super Versatile – Works with gnocchi, pasta, or even seafood.
Want to mix it up? Swap out the sausage for extra fennel seeds and keep it vegetarian, or pair it with pan-seared fish, squid, or juicy gambas for a whole new take. However you serve it, this fennel and tomato ragù is guaranteed to be a winner. Let’s get cooking!
Have more time on your hands? Then try making your own gnocchi! For example my Pumpkin & Ricotta Gnocchi or this Ricotta Gnocchi inspired by Donna Hay.
Fennel & Tomato Ragù with Fennel Sausage
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
Loading...Ingredients
- The Ragù
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 pork sausages
- 1 – 2 tbsp fennel seeds
- 1 white onion, thinly sliced
- 2-3 garlic cloves, thinky sliced
- 1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced, green fronds set aside
- 500 g small tomatoes, halved
- 50 g parmesan cheese, grated (more to taste)
- Pepper & Salt
- To serve (see notes)
- 1 packet dried gnocchi (500 g)
- 1tbsp olive oil
- Pepper & salt
Instructions
Heat the olive oil in a frying pan which has a lid.
Remove the skins from the sausages and add the meat into the pan together with the fennel seeds. Break down the sausages into small bite size pieces and let sizzle away, stirring occasionally, until browned and crispy on all sides, ± 8 minutes. Remove the sausage and fennel seeds from the pan (no worries if a few seeds stay behind) and set aside.
Add the onions, garlic and a pinch of salt to the same pan and sauté on low to medium heat until softened and fragrant, ± 5 minutes. Add a drop of oilive oil if the pan is too dry. Now add the thinly sliced fennel and sauté slowly on low to medium heat until the fennel has softened and caramelized, ± 20 minutes. Stir now and then but not too often, this will help it brown.
Add the tomatoes and turn the heat up to medium. Stir so everything is coated and scrape the goodness off the bottom of the pan. ± 3 minutes.
Turn the heat down and place a lid on the pan. Let it slowly stew until the tomatoes break down and create a thick sauce. Lift the lid now and then and squash the tomatoes with the back of a wooden spoon. ± 15 minutes.
In the meantime you van make the gnocchi. In a separate frying pan heat some olive oil and add the gnocchi straight from the packaging. Pan fry on medium heat while you keep tossing until golden and brown. ± 10 – 15 minutes. Season with pepper and salt.
Just before serving stir the parmesan cheese into the tomato fennel mix and add the sausages and fennel seeds. Stir to heat through. If the ragu is too dry you can add a tablespoon or 2 of water.
Serve with the green fennel fronds sprinkled over the top and a drizzle of good quality olive oil. Enjoy!
Notes
To make your life easier you can also just boil the gnocchi for 3 minutes or cook some pasta.
