Tagliatelle with ragù are one of those dishes that smell like home, family Sundays and aromas that fill the kitchen from the morning. It’s the holiday dish, but also the one that warms the heart on gray days: an evergreen classic that needs no introduction. Making them takes time and attention, but the real reward is seeing the smiles of those who taste the first bite, perhaps with a generous dusting of Parmigiano Reggiano.
Here are other recipes to enjoy together during family lunches.
- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Affordable
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Cooking time: 1 Hour
- Portions: 4 Servings
- Cooking methods: Boiling, Slow cooking
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients for meat tagliatelle with ragù
- 2 1/2 cups 00 flour (or all-purpose flour)
- 3 eggs (at room temperature)
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- as needed fine semolina (for dusting) (for dusting)
- 14 oz mixed ground meat (veal and pork)
- 14 oz tomato passata (strained tomatoes)
- 1/3 cup red wine
- 3.5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 yellow onion (or shallot)
- 1 stalk celery
- 1 carrot
- to taste garlic powder
- to taste salt
- to taste black pepper
- to taste nutmeg
Tools
- 1 Food processor Bimby tm31 – tm5 – tm6 – tm7
- 1 Pasta machine
- 1 Saucepan
- 1 Large pot
- Knives
- Spoons
Preparation of meat tagliatelle with ragù
Pour the flour into a bowl (hold back a little so you can add more if needed). Make a well in the center and break in the room-temperature eggs.
Beat the eggs with a fork, add the oil, and as soon as they have absorbed some flour continue kneading by hand until you obtain a homogeneous dough. Then work it on a lightly floured surface for at least 10–15 minutes until smooth and elastic. Form a ball, wrap it in plastic wrap, and let the dough rest at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.
After the dough has rested, take it and roll it out one piece at a time, keeping the rest wrapped in plastic or covered to prevent it from drying out. Flour the piece of dough and pass it through the rollers of the pasta machine, starting from the widest setting (in my case 8) and gradually reducing it to the thinnest (I reached 1).
At this point you can change the roller on the pasta machine to the tagliatelle cutter, or make them by hand by cutting with a knife.
Dice the vegetables very finely (carrot, celery, onion, garlic) and sauté them in a pan with a little oil. Add the ground meat and mix well with a wooden spoon for about ten minutes until the meat is well browned.
Deglaze with the red wine, then when the alcohol has evaporated add the tomato passata, pepper, nutmeg and salt. Let cook over medium-low heat for 50–60 minutes, stirring occasionally. If the ragù becomes too dry, add a little broth.
TAGLIATELLE WITH RAGÙ: Cook the tagliatelle in plenty of boiling salted water. When ready, drain and dress them with the meat ragù.
NOTES and TIPS
Tagliatelle with ragù pair perfectly with full-bodied red wines such as Chianti, Barolo or Lambrusco. To store them, it’s better to keep the ragù separate from the pasta: in the fridge up to 2–3 days or in the freezer up to 3 months.
Recommended pairings
The tagliatelle with ragù are a rich and flavorful dish, so they require beverages and sides that enhance their taste:
Robust red wines: Chianti, Barolo, Amarone, Aglianico del Vulture, Montefalco Rosso.
Local alternatives: sparkling Lambrusco, typical of Emilia, which contrasts the succulence of the ragù.
Other Piedmont reds: Barbaresco, Barbera d’Alba.
Non-alcoholic beverages: dark beer or fizzy soft drinks (for those who don’t drink wine)
Storing tagliatelle with ragù
The golden rule is to store pasta and ragù separately to preserve texture and flavor.
In the refrigerator:
Ragù: up to 2–3 days in an airtight container.
Cooked tagliatelle: maximum 1 day, better to dress them at the last moment.
In the freezer:
Ragù: up to 3 months. Freeze in single portions, in sterilized jars or bags.
Raw fresh pasta: up to 1 month, well wrapped.
Practical tips:
Cool the ragù before storing.
Avoid freezing pasta already dressed: it tends to become soggy.
Sterilize containers if storing for a long time
