Pasta with Genovese Sauce

Pasta with Genovese Sauce is a rich and savory onion and beef ragu served with pasta. This Neapolitan dish is basically an onion sauce that is slowly cooked with meat over low heat until they caramelize and its natural sweetness emerges. It’s a delicious all-in-one meal that’s cozy and comforting.

White wine, extra virgin olive oil, carrot, celery and beef chunks for stew are added to flavor this simple ragu that coats the pasta perfectly.

Best of all, the beef becomes a “melt-in-your-mouth” fork-tender. YUM!

Growing up, our mom made her Genovese sauce using chunks of veal, as she did for her veal stew. But, nowadays, veal has become extremely expensive.

So instead of veal, using chunks of beef (for beef stew) made more sense.

What is Pasta alla Genovese Sauce?

Pasta with Genovese Sauce is a southern Italian dish that was introduced to Naples by traders and sailors that came from the city of Genoa to work in the Naples area during the Renaissance period.  

It is a brown-colored sauce.

Rather than the usual Neapolitan “tomato-based sauces” we are most familiar with, like our mom’s quick marinara sauce, or her best pork ragu recipe. This one is different.

This ragu contains two main ingredients: onions and beef.

Plus, it is a fantastic dish to make for a Sunday dinner, or when the weather is chilly, snowing, or raining. Everyone will enjoy this cozy and hearty dish.

The best part? …your house will smell AMAZING! 😉

Ingredients Needed to make our Genovese Sauce:

There are 6 ingredients to make this delicious sauce, (not counting salt and pepper).

1. ONIONS: choose white onions or yellow onions, and you will need about 2 pounds.

2. CARROT: one carrot is all you will need for the sauce.

3. CELERY: also, one celery stalk is needed for flavoring.

4. BEEF CHUCK for STEW: it is a good idea to purchase beef chuck for stew from your local butcher, or at the meat section at Whole Foods.

5. WHITE WINE: any drinking white wine you may have on hand is perfect. Open a bottle for this recipe, then keep the bottle chilled to serve at dinner.

6. EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL: you will need a good amount of olive oil for this sauce. It gives a rich flavor to the caramelized onions while it simmers the entire mixture until golden brown.

How is this sauce cooked?

Genovese Sauce is a slow-cooked recipe. It is simmered for a few hours until the onions are caramelized and the meat is so tender, it falls apart with a fork.

Trust me – it’s amazing!

How to Make Pasta with Genovese?

This is an easy process – where you toss all the ingredients into ONE pot, (and in order, with sliced onions last) cover, and simmer on low heat for a few hours.

3 Easy Steps TO START…

STEP 1: Grab a large pasta pot or Dutch oven and place it on the stovetop.

STEP 2: Dice or chop the carrot and celery into small pieces. Set aside.

LAST STEP: Next, open the package of chunk meat and examine them. Trim off excess fat, and if the pieces are too large, cut them into 1 or 2-inch pieces. Season the meat with salt and black pepper.

Add the ingredients in order:

1. Pour in the extra virgin olive oil and turn on the heat to moderate.

2. Toss in the chopped carrot and celery.

3. Then immediately following, toss in the pieces of chunk meat.

4. As they simmer, slice the onions and toss those on top, and continue until all the onions have been sliced. Cover with a lid and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.

5. NEXT, pour in the white wine. Cover again, and bring to a bubbling boil, then reduce the heat to a “low simmer.”

6. After one hour, lift open the cover and give it a stir to combine the mixture.

7. After the second hour, do the same thing – give it another stir.

8. Finally, after 2 and half hours, taste the sauce and season with salt and black pepper to your taste. Cover again, and simmer for additional 30 minutes, then turn off the heat.

The sauce is now ready to be served!

Cook the pasta, then toss the sauce with the pasta and serve.

What kind of pasta works Best?

For this hearty sauce, it is best to serve it with penne, ziti, and even rigatoni pasta. Simply because they hold “the sauce” better and will satisfy everyone’s appetite. It is pure comfort food.

Can we use a Slow-Cooker or Instant Pot?

Yes, you can. You can use either one, place all the ingredients into the pot, and set the timer.

Can we OMIT the meat?

Yes, you can, and make this a “vegetarian version” for onion sauce with pasta.

A few Notes and Tips…

• When cutting the onions, you should expect to cry, at least I did. To help minimize that, run the raw onion under cold water for a few seconds before slicing.

• Keep in mind, as you stir the onion sauce, the meat should fall apart. If it does not, you can easily break up the pieces (inside the pot) using a wooden spoon.
• Our mom made this Genovese sauce for years. Sometimes she would add some fresh herbs like parsley or basil for more flavor.
• Finally, at the end, and just before you serve: when you combine the pasta with the Genovese sauce, you can drizzle an additional 1 to 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil directly into the pasta, to give it extra richness and savory flavor.
• We recommend you serve this dish with grated pecorino cheese on top. (it’s the best!)

Pasta with Genovese Sauce is a hearty and savory dish.

The sauce is naturally sweet-tasting. Served with pasta and a little grated cheese on top, it’s “Italian comfort food” at its best!

Besides being an exquisite sauce to the palate, it is very easy and inexpensive to make.

The total cost for this meal is about $15.00 for 6 servings. (Love that!) 😉

Serve it up with some crusty bread and a salad on the side – it’s delicious!

Try it!

ENJOY!!

Additional recipes for Meat Ragu…

• Mom’s Classic Bolognese Sauce
• Best Pork Ragu Recipe
• Braciole -Sicilian Style

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Happy Cooking! 🙂

thanks for stopping by…

xo anna and liz