Neapolitan Genovese pasta is one of those first courses I didn’t know and that I prepared for the first time thanks to a Neapolitan colleague of my husband, who — as my husband told it — fell in love with it.
In fact, the Neapolitan Genovese ragù can be made in two ways: one using the meat cut into not-too-large pieces and cooking it for at least 4-5 hours until the meat falls apart a bit during cooking, or the version I present to you.
In the first version you may need a little more wine during the cooking, since the sauce can dry out; then it will be served both as a main course and as a pasta sauce.
In the second version, which I find more practical, it might not be served as a main course, but it is much more practical for dressing pasta.
I used linguine, but in fact it is more popular to use short pasta — maybe next time I’ll prepare this dish with short pasta to see the difference.
If you make any of my recipes, send me the photos and I will publish them on my page in your name.
Approx. 840 kcal per person
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Medium
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 4 servings
- Cooking methods: Slow cooking
- Cuisine: Italian Regional
- Region: Campania
Ingredients to make Neapolitan Genovese Pasta
- 1.1 lb (eye of round, top round or lacerto)
- 2.2 lb onions
- 2 medium carrots
- 1 1/2 stalk celery
- to taste salt
- to taste pepper
- 1 1/2 glass white wine
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 13.4 oz pasta
- 3 oz Parmigiano Reggiano
Preparation of Neapolitan Genovese Pasta
First of all prepare the Genovese ragù: put extra virgin olive oil in a high-sided nonstick pot, add the chopped carrots (peeled, of course), the washed and chopped celery, the onions thinly sliced with a mandoline and let cook over medium heat, stirring from time to time so everything wilts for a few minutes.
Once the soffritto is ready, add the meat, mixing well and let it cook; after a while add the wine, adjust salt and pepper and cook over medium-low heat for about 3-4 hours.
If the sauce should dry out too much, add more wine during cooking.
When the ragù is almost ready, start bringing salted water to a boil for the pasta and at the right time cook the pasta fairly al dente.
Once the pasta is cooked, drain it and pour it into the sauce, stirring and completing the cooking for about a couple of minutes.
