Pasta alla Genovese (Pasta With Neapolitan Beef and Onion Ragù)

Serious Eats / Sasha Marx

Recipe Details

Pasta alla Genovese (Pasta w/ Beef & Onion Ragù) Recipe

Prep 5 mins

Cook 3 hrs 15 mins

Active 30 mins

Resting Time 45 mins

Total 4 hrs 5 mins

Serves 4 to 6 servings

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• 1 1/2 pounds (700 g) boneless beef chuck roast, trimmed and cut into 4-by-3-inch pieces
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup (60 g; 60 ml) lard or extra-virgin olive oil (see note)
• 3 1/2 ounces (100 g) carrots, peeled and cut into small dice (2 small carrots)
• 1 celery rib (75 g), trimmed and cut into small dice
• 3 pounds (1.4 kg) yellow or red onions, thinly sliced, divided
• 1 tablespoon (15 g) tomato paste
• 1 cup (240 ml) dry white wine, divided
• 1 bay leaf
• 5 ounces (150 g) cherry tomatoes (optional, see note)
• 1 pound (450 g) short tubular dried pasta such as ziti, paccheri, or rigatoni (see note)
• 1 loosely packed cup (1/2 ounce; 15 g) fresh parsley leaves and tender stems, finely chopped
• Finely grated Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano-Reggiano, for serving

1. Season beef all over with salt and pepper; set aside and let sit for at least 45 minutes before cooking. Serious Eats / Sasha Marx
2. Meanwhile, in a large Dutch oven, heat lard or olive oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add carrots and celery, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened but not browned, about 5 minutes. Add roughly 1/3 of the onions (about 1 pound; 450g), season lightly with salt, and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are also softened but not browned, about 5 minutes. Serious Eats / Sasha Marx
3. Add tomato paste and 1/4 cup (60ml) wine. Use a wooden spoon to stir and scrape the bottom and sides of the pot to release any stuck-on bits, then spread onion mixture into an even layer covering bottom of the pot. Reduce heat to medium-low and add beef, nestling pieces into onion mixture in a single layer. Cover beef with remaining onions (about 2 pounds; 900g), add bay leaf, season lightly with salt, and cover pot with lid. Serious Eats / Sasha Marx
4. Cook, uncovering and stirring occasionally to ensure vegetables and beef aren’t sticking to bottom of the pot, until onions are very soft and have released their moisture, about 1 hour. Adjust heat as needed to maintain a gentle, steady simmer, and try to keep a layer of onion mixture between beef and bottom of the pot. Serious Eats / Sasha Marx
5. Crack lid slightly so that pot is not completely covered and continue to cook until beef is tender, offering little resistance when pressed with a wooden spoon or poked with a paring knife, about 1 hour and 30 minutes longer. Using tongs, remove beef and bay leaf; set beef aside to cool slightly and discard bay leaf. Serious Eats / Sasha Marx
6. Add remaining 3/4 cup (180ml) wine and cherry tomatoes (if using) to onion mixture and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. Once beef is cool enough to handle, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces and add back to the pot. Season with salt to taste and cook, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes begin to burst and mixture is reduced to a saucy braised ragù consistency, about 15 minutes. You can coax the beef pieces into breaking down slightly by prodding them with a wooden spoon, but don’t overdo it; the goal is to have a mixture of distinct pieces of beef and some shredded bits that meld into the sauce. Serious Eats / Sasha Marx
7. Meanwhile, in a pot of salted boiling water, cook pasta until just shy of al dente (1 to 2 minutes less than the package directs). Using a spider skimmer, transfer pasta to the sauce, along with 1/2 cup (120ml) pasta cooking water. Alternatively, drain pasta using a colander or fine-mesh strainer, making sure to reserve at least 1 cup (240ml) pasta cooking water. Serious Eats / Sasha Marx
8. Increase heat to high and cook, stirring rapidly, until pasta is al dente and sauce is thickened and coats noodles, 1 to 2 minutes, adding more pasta water in 1/4 cup (60ml) increments as needed. Remove from heat, add parsley, and stir rapidly to incorporate. Season with salt to taste. Serve immediately, passing grated cheese at the table. Serious Eats / Sasha Marx

Special Equipment

Dutch oven,

Notes

Strutto (lard) is the traditional fat used for making Genovese ragù, but extra-virgin olive oil works fine for this recipe. Lard lends the ragù extra meaty richness, while olive oil will give the sauce more grassy and peppery notes. Rendered lard is sold at some butcher shops as well as at Latin American markets. You can also render lard yourself from fatback or leaf lard (fat from the area around the kidneys), following the same technique used for rendering duck fat.

While this ragù is all about the onions and beef, adding a handful of fresh cherry tomatoes is accepted common practice, and provides a pop of freshness and bright acidity to balance the slow-cooked sweetness of the onions and carrots in the sauce.

Ziti and paccheri are traditional shapes from Gragnano, the dried pasta capital of Italy just outside Naples, and they’re commonly paired with Genovese. The amount of sauce produced by this recipe is sufficient to dress up to 500 grams (1.1 pounds) of dried pasta, which is the weight of bags of pasta sold in Italy (50 grams more than the 1-pound bags and boxes used for the American market). So whether you’ve purchased a 1-pound or 500-gram bag of pasta, use the whole thing.

Make-Ahead and Storage

Genovese ragù can be made in advance, following recipe through Step 6, and refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 3 months. Reheat gently over medium-low heat on stovetop, adding 1 to 2 tablespoons (15 to 30ml) of water as needed to loosen sauce. adding parsley and cheese.

Read More

• Basic Ragù Bolognese
• The Best Slow-Cooked Bolognese Sauce
• Ragú Napoletano (Neapolitan-Style Italian Meat Sauce With Pork, Beef, and Sausage)
• Pappardelle With Tuscan Pork
• Crepe Manicotti With Veal Ragù

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
778	Calories
29g	Fat
83g	Carbs
43g	Protein

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4 to 6
Amount per serving
Calories	778
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 29g	38%
Saturated Fat 10g	48%
Cholesterol 99mg	33%
Sodium 505mg	22%
Total Carbohydrate 83g	30%
Dietary Fiber 6g	23%
Total Sugars 14g
Protein 43g
Vitamin C 17mg	85%
Calcium 154mg	12%
Iron 6mg	34%
Potassium 1030mg	22%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.