Pasta alla Genovese - The Original Italian Meat Sauce

beef

🥗Healthier: lean turkey

💰Cheaper: pork

Turkey reduces fat content while pork can be more affordable.

parmesan cheese

🥗Healthier: nutritional yeast

💰Cheaper: grana padano

Nutritional yeast offers a cheesy flavor with fewer calories.

Remove the ends and peel 4 pounds of onions before slicing them into half moons.

Use about double the amount of onions compared to beef for the braising liquid.

Mince 2 stalks of celery and cut 2 small carrots or 1 large carrot for the sofrito.

Cut a 2.5 lb chuck roast into six large cubes and remove any large pockets of fat.

Pat the meat dry with paper towels and season liberally with salt and pepper.

Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a Dutch oven on medium-high heat and place in the beef.

Let the beef cook untouched for a few minutes until golden brown on a few sides, then remove and reserve for later.

With the heat on medium-low, add a teaspoon of olive oil, then add the carrots, celery, and a handful of sliced onions; cook down for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Once softened, deglaze with 1 cup of dry white wine and add 2 bay leaves; turn the heat up to medium to reduce the liquid.

After the liquid has reduced by half, turn the heat back down to medium-low, nestle in the beef, and add a pinch of salt directly to the onions.

Cover with a lid for about 15 minutes, then stir in the onions with tongs.

Mix everything well, ensuring the onions are distributed and some meat is poking through the top; cover again and turn the heat down to low to maintain a slow simmer for about 3 hours, stirring and flipping the meat every 45 minutes.

After about 3 hours, the meat should be fork tender; break up larger pieces into smaller chunks and remove the bay leaves.

Uncover the pot and turn the heat up to medium-low to reduce and thicken the sauce.

Bring a pot of water to a boil, add a couple tablespoons of salt, and drop in the ziti pasta.

In a separate sauté pan on low heat, add a couple ladlefuls of the sauce and scoop in the pasta once it's al dente; toss to coat the pasta with the sauce and meat.

Plate the pasta and serve with extra spoonfuls of sauce and grated cheese.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Allergens