Cold weather hits, and all I want is a comforting plate of pasta. Something meaty, rich, and super satisfying—this pasta alla Genovese is just that. It’s a ragù is made with lots, and lots of onions, slow-simmered along with tender beef. The final sauce is smooth and creamy from the onions, super flavorful, and has a slight sweetness.
Like many ragùs, this sauce is simple to make—it just takes time. For this recipe, I’ve given you a few options: you can slowly simmer it on the stovetop, throw it in the oven, or use a pressure cooker to save time. I’ll let you choose your own adventure here. If you haven’t made this before, you’ve got to try it—I promise you won’t be disappointed!
It’s a ragù is made with lots, and lots of onions, slow-simmered along with tender beef. The final sauce is smooth and creamy from the onions, super flavorful, and has a slight sweetness.
What is Genovese sauce?
Genovese sauce, known as sugo alla genovese or “la Genovese“, is a rich onion and beef ragù from Naples, Italy. It’s thought that the sauce was probably brought to Naples by Genovese immigrants or could have simply been named after someone whose last name was Genovese, pretty common in Campania. [1]
The bulk of the sauce is made from simmered beef, lots of onions that get slowly caramelized and some white wine. The sauce is cooked for a long time, a minimum of three hours, which breaks down the caramelized onions into that smooth silky sauce, with lots of tender shredded beef. The flavor is similar to a rich French onion soup. The finished sauce if tossed with pasta and topped with lots of fresh grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.
What pasta is served with Genovese sauce?
Genovese is best paired with a pasta shape that can really hold up to the rich sauce. A classic choice is ziti, specifically long ziti that you break up before cooking. Rigatoni or paccheri are both great options as well. For this version I used some homemade potato gnocchi I had on hand, but you could also use another homemade pasta you like such as tagliatelle or pappardelle.
Ingredients
- Onions: The bulk of the sauce is made from onions, so get the best ones you can. Ideally you want to use a yellow onion, but white onions will work in a pinch.
- Beef: This sauce is slowly cooked so any cut of beef you would use for a stew works here. I used chuck roast, it’s ideal since it has a good bit of fat and connective tissue that breaks down in the sauce. Short rib or even shanks would work.
- Guanciale or Pancetta: Totally optional but adds lots of flavor.
- Carrot and Celery: The classic aromatics to flavor your Genovese sauce.
- White Wine: A dry white wine that you would drink on its own is perfect here. You could simply use water if you don’t want to use wine. I would recommend adding a tiny splash on vinegar right at the end of cooking. It’ll add that little bit of acid the sauce needs that you would normally get from the wine.
- Bay Leaf
How to Make Pasta alla Genovese
- Brown Beef – Cube your beef and pat dry. Season well with salt and pepper and brown in a large sauté pan with olive oil. This step is essential for that rich, deep flavor so take your time. Make sure the beef is well browned on all sides. Once brown, remove and set aside. Add in guanciale or pancetta, and render in the beef fat until crisp and golden brown. Remove from pan and set aside.
- Cook Onions – Leave about 2-3 tablespoons of fat in the pan and cook sliced onions until soft and translucent. Be sure to season with salt.
- Add Carrots and Celery – Add in grated carrots and celery to sautéd onions cooking another 5 minutes. Pour in a half cup of white wine and scrape any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the meat back to the pan along with a bay leaf.
- Cover and Simmer – Cover and let everything simmer for a minimum of 3 hours. You’ll know you’re getting close when the meat easily shreds. You want it to be practically falling apart.
You could alternatively:
Cook Sauce in The Oven: Cook at 300°F, tightly covered. Making sure to stir every 20-30 minutes to keep sauce from burning.
Use a Pressure cooker: You’ll cook the sauce for 40 minutes under pressure with a natural release. (You will need to simmer, uncovered, for an extra 20 minutes or more to reach desired thickness at the end. ) - Shred Beef and Thicken Sauce – Remove beef chunks and add in remaining white wine letting the sauce simmer for 20 minutes or more to thicken. Shred your beef while the sauce thickens and then return to pan. Taste and adjust for seasoning.
- To Serve – Toss with your pasta of choice, and be sure to add a splash of pasta cooking water to get a silky sauce. Top with lots of freshly grated Parmesan cheese and eat up!
Note: Serve this with your favorite pasta shape. Rigatoni or ziti are pretty classic for pasta alla Genovese. If you can find long ziti, use that, and break it into smaller pieces before boiling. I served this version with my homemade potato gnocchi since I had extra stashed in the freezer. Very delish!
Tips and Tricks
Take Your Time to Develop Flavor
Let the beef brown and the guanciale render. This is what gives the sauce its rich, deep flavor, along with the slowly caramelized onions that make up the bulk of the sauce. Take your time to let all the meat caramelize.
Use a Pressure Cooker
I love using my pressure cooker for making meaty sauces like this Genovese, along with Bolognese or short rib ragu. It saves on cooking time and traps in many of the dish’s aromatics. Cook the sauce for 40 minutes, letting the pressure cooker naturally release. You’ll need to simmer the sauce a little longer at the end to achieve the desired consistency, as less water will have evaporated during closed pressure cooking.
Cook It in the Oven
This is another great, more hands-off option. Cook the sauce at 300°F (~150°C) in the oven, as an alternative to stovetop simmering. It will take about 3 hours. Use an oven-safe, heavy-bottom pan with a tight-fitting lid. Or, a large baking dish covered tightly with aluminum foil. Check the sauce every 20-30 minutes, stirring gently to prevent burning. If the sauce looks too thick, add a little water or the reserved white wine.
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Pasta Alla Geneovese
Ingredients
The Geneovese Sauce
- 1 lb chuck roast
- 1/4 lb guanciale or pancetta optional
- 4 onions ~3 lbs, thinly sliced
- 1 carrot 0.3 lbs, grated
- 1 celery 0.2 lbs, grated
- 1 cup white wine divided
- 1 bay leaf
To Serve
- 1lb pasta ziti, rigatoni, gnocchi
- Parmiginao-Reggiano freshly grated
Instructions
- Cube your beef and pat dry with a paper towel. Season well with salt and pepper. Brown in a large sauté pan with olive oil. Make sure the beef is browned on all sides. This step is crucial for developing flavor, so take your time.
- Once beef is browned, remove it and set aside. Add diced guanciale or pancetta to pan, and let it render in the beef fat. Once crisped and golden brown, remove from pan and set aside with the beef.
- Remove any excess fat from the pan leaving at least 2-3 tablespoons to cook vegetables.
- Add sliced onions. Season with salt and sauté until soft and translucent.
- Add in grated carrots and celery. Sauté with onions another 5 minutes.
- Pour in 1/2 cup white wine, scraping brown bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Return meat to the pan and nestle into sautéed vegetables. Add in bay leaf.
- Cover and simmer on stovetop for a minimum of 3 hours. You’ll know the meat has cooked long enough when it easily shreds. It should be practically falling apart. Alternatives cooking methods: Oven method: Cook at 300°F, tightly covered. Stir every 20-20 minutes making sure sauce does not burn. Pressure cooker: 40 minutes, with a natural release. You will need to reduce final sauce more at then end since there will be less evaporation during the cooking time. Y
- To finish sauce, remove beef and add in remaining 1/2 cup white wine. Let sauce simmer for another 20 minutes.
- While sauce is simmering, shred your beef.
- Return beef to pan, simmer until sauce thickens. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. It should be a thick sauce, not at all soupy. You want it to cling to your pasta.
- To serve: Toss with pasta of choice, adding a splash of pasta water for a silky sauce. Top with freshly grated Parmesan and eat up!
Notes
Did You Make This Recipe?
Leave a comment with your thoughts or share your version on Instagram by tagging @TheMostHungry. I’d love to see how you made it your own!
One thought on Pasta alla Genovese
This dish could be the perfect pasta for a chilly winter’s dinner. Just add a glass of Pinot Noir.