Pasta alla Genovese is a traditional Neapolitan recipe. Although the name may be misleading, La Genovese is an unquestionably Neapolitan dish and has nothing to do with Genoa.
The sauce consists of a hearty ragu without tomato, prepared with lots of onion. The main characteristic is the gentle and prolonged cooking that allows the meat and onions to melt, resulting in a creamy, flavorful and at the same time mild sauce.
The preparation of pasta alla Genovese is quite simple, but it requires patience and the right amount of time for the sauce to cook to perfection. For this recipe, we use ziti pasta broken irregularly by hand. Ziti are a typical pasta from Campania. They are long tubes of smooth pasta that, depending on the recipe, are left long or broken coarsely by hand.
Like all traditional homemade Italian recipes, there are numerous variations with small differences depending on the habits of different families. The differences mainly concern the type of meat they use.
I used a cut of meat called in Italy "girello" or "magatello" of beef (eye round). It's the back part of the thigh. This cut of meat is round, firm, very lean and therefore rather tough compared to other cuts, but very tasty. For this reason it's a cut of meat suitable for slow and prolonged cooking.
You need to cut the meat into chunks and brown it in a pot with a base of herbs. Then add plenty of onions. Wet everything with white wine and cook over very gentle heat for about three hours. Pasta alla Genovese is the classic family Sunday lunch dish. The end result, with its unique and irresistible flavor, will repay your wait, believe me!
Ingredients
Prep Time: 30 Min | Cook Time: 3 hours | Servings: 4
- 600 g (1.3 pounds) of beef chuck roast or stewing beef. I used what we call in Italy "magatello" (eye of round)
- 1 medium carrot
- 1 celery stalk
- 60 ml (4 tablespoons) of extra virgin olive oil
- 1 kg (2.2 pounds) of yellow or red onions
- 230 ml (1 cup) of dry white wine, at room temperature
- A small bunch of parsley
- 1 bay leaf
- Salt, to taste
- 360 g (¾ pound) of Ziti, the typical local pasta for this recipe. Alternatively, you can use caserecce or paccheri
- Grated Parmigiano Reggiano, to taste (optional)
Istructions
The Soffritto
Step 1) - To make Pasta Genovese, first peel the carrot and clean the celery. Then chop the vegetables coarsely.
Step 2) - Prepare the meat on a cutting board. Remove any excess fat and cut into medium sized pieces.
Step 3) - Pour the oil into a saucepan and add the chopped carrot and celery. Sauté for a few minutes.
The Genovese Sauce
Step 4) - Add the pieces of meat to the soffritto. Cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally so that the meat browns all over.
Step 5) - Meanwhile, peel the onions. Then slice them finely using a mandoline slicer.
Step 6) - Add the onions to the meat and mix well. Then add the chopped parsley and a bay leaf.
Step 7) - When the onions are wilted, add ½ cup of room temperature dry white wine. Let the alcohol evaporate. Cover and continue to cook over very low heat for about 2 hours.
PLEASE NOTE: Do not worry if the sauce seems too dry at this point without enough liquid. The onions will release their water while cooking over low heat. If necessary, add half a ladle of hot water.
Step 8) - After 2 hours, the sauce will have taken on its characteristic brownish color and the meat will be tender. At this point, raise the heat a little and add the remaining ½ cup of white wine. Stir and continue to cook over a low heat for another hour.
At the end of this time, your Genovese sauce is ready. The meat and onions will have become creamy and well blended. Taste and add salt if necessary.
Cooking the Pasta
Step 9) - While the meat is finishing cooking, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the ziti (which you have now broken up with your hands) according to the cooking time on the package (about 10 minutes).
Step 10) - Drain the pasta al dente with a slotted spoon and place in a bowl with the sauce. Toss the pasta with the Genovese sauce and serve.
Pour a little Genovese sauce on each plate and sprinkle with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese if you like. Serve the Pasta alla Genovese hot.
YOU MUST ALSO TRY:
- Neapolitan Lasagna
- Ragù Bianco - White Bolognese Sauce
- Baked Ziti Recipe
- Neapolitan Pasta Frittata Recipe (Frittata di Spaghetti)
- Neapolitan Pasta and Potatoes Recipe (Pasta e Patate)
Storage
You can store the Genovese sauce in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 3-4 days. You can also freeze it. It will keep for 2-3 months.
Pasta alla Genovese, on the other hand, should be eaten immediately, hot, steaming and al dente.
Tips and Variations
THE MEAT: Traditionally, Genovese sauce is made only with beef. The most commonly used cuts are those suitable for long, slow cooking, such as for stews or sauces. I used a cut of beef called "girello" or "magatello" in Italy. It corresponds to the rear part of the thigh, called eye round. This cut of meat is round, firm, very lean and therefore rather tough compared to other cuts, but very tasty. If you prefer, you can use more fatty cuts or make a mixture of different cuts. Some people also add pieces of pork for more seasoning and flavor. But the authentic recipe calls only for beef.
THE ONIONS: A key ingredient in the Genovese recipe is onion. They must be used in very large quantities. The onions recommended for this recipe are the yellow or red ones. In Campania they use the yellow onion from Montoro. In fact, this is produced between the provinces of Avellino and Salerno and is widely used for Sugo alla Genovese. Very aromatic to the nose, the Montoro onion is also sweet to the taste. It is also a very good onion to eat raw, in salads. The red onion of Tropea is a good alternative.
THE WINE: Dry white wine is the only liquid to add to the Genovese sauce.
You have to add it in two or three steps. You must add the wine the first time when the sauce is cooking with the lid on, and then again in the last stage of cooking without the lid. The wine adds a nice flavor as it cooks. It may seem like a small amount of liquid, but the liquid released by the onions is so much that you don't need any more. Adding broth or water would risk compromising the creaminess and flavor of the Genovese. Remember to add the wine at room temperature. If you use it cold, you can stop the meat from cooking and have an overly tough end result.
THE PASTA: As for the pasta, if possible choose an excellence from Campania. For example, an IGP pasta from Gragnano. As for the shape of the pasta, the great Genovese classic is the long ziti, which, according to tradition, must be strictly broken by hand. Alternatively, you can choose caserecce, paccheri or rigatoni. Remember to drain the pasta al dente. It's also very important to drain the pasta thoroughly. If there is any water in the pasta, our Genovese sauce will lose its flavor.
THE TOMATO: One of the main characteristics of this recipe is the fact that it's a ragu "in bianco" (white). This expression for us Italians does not strictly refer to the color of the dish. In fact, in this case, the Genovese sauce is not white, but rather dark.
"In bianco" means without tomato. This characteristic distinguishes Genovese sauce from other Neapolitan sauces in which tomato is the main ingredient. However, many can not miss the quintessential ingredient of Neapolitan cuisine and they add a few fresh cherry tomatoes or a spoonful of tomato paste. This variation will give you a more colorful Genovese but will not compromise the taste.
THE MILK: Milk, like tomato, is not part of the traditional Genovese recipe. However, many people add a glass of milk, about 100 ml (~½ cup), to the Genoese sauce about 15 minutes before the end of cooking. This variation makes the dish creamier and the flavor sweeter and more delicate.
Origins
Despite its name, Genovese is a truly Neapolitan dish. The origin of its name is unclear, but several theories exist.
The most straightforward explanation is that it comes from Genoese cooks in Naples who prepared meat this way—especially during the era of the maritime republics, when Genoa and Naples had strong ties.
Another theory is the Angevin one. A recipe similar to Genovese appears in the Liber de Coquina, a 1285 cookbook written in Vulgar Latin, likely in Naples. Dedicated to Charles II of Anjou and preserved in the National Archives of Paris, it mentions “tria Genovese” (where tria referred to pasta in the Middle Ages). The sauce described is a slow-cooked mix of onions and meat—possibly an early version of Genovese, influenced by the newly arrived Angevins.
Some believe the name doesn't refer to the Ligurian city at all, but rather to the surname of a Neapolitan cook who created the recipe. "Genovese" remains a common last name in Naples and Campania.
Another theory suggests the name comes not from Genoa, but from Geneva. It’s said a Swiss cook from Geneva, nicknamed ’o Genovese by Neapolitans, worked at the Bourbon court—possibly inspiring the dish’s name.
Recipe Card
Pasta alla Genovese Recipe
Ingredients
- 600 g beef 1.3 pounds, beef chuck roast or stewing beef. I used what we call in Italy “magatello” (eye of round)
- 1 carrot medium
- 1 celery stalk
- 60 ml olive oil 4 tablespoons, extra virgin
- 1 kg onions 2.2 pounds, yellow or red
- 230 ml white wine 1 cup, dry at room temperature
- parsley a small bunch
- 1 bay leaf
- salt to taste
- 360 g pasta ¾ pound of Ziti. Alternatively, you can use caserecce or paccheri
- Parmigiano Reggiano grated, to taste (optional)
Instructions
The Soffritto
- Peel the carrot and clean the celery. Then chop the vegetables coarsely.
- Prepare the meat on a cutting board. Remove any excess fat and cut into medium sized pieces.
- Pour the oil into a saucepan and add the chopped carrot and celery. Sauté for a few minutes.
The Genovese Sauce
- Add the pieces of meat to the soffritto. Cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally so that the meat browns all over.
- Meanwhile, peel the onions. Then slice them finely using a mandoline slicer.
- Add the onions to the meat and mix well. Then add the chopped parsley and a bay leaf.
- When the onions are wilted, add ½ cup of room temperature dry white wine. Let the alcohol evaporate. Cover and continue to cook over very low heat for about 2 hours.
- After 2 hours, the sauce will have taken on its characteristic brownish color and the meat will be tender. At this point, raise the heat a little and add the remaining ½ cup of white wine. Stir and continue to cook over a low heat for another hour.
- At the end of this time, your Genovese sauce is ready. The meat and onions will have become creamy and well blended. Taste and add salt if necessary.
Cooking the Pasta
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the ziti (which you have now broken up with your hands) according to the cooking time on the package (about 10 minutes).
- Drain the pasta al dente with a slotted spoon and place in a bowl with the sauce. Toss the pasta with the Genovese sauce and serve.
- Pour a little Genovese sauce on each plate and sprinkle with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese if you like. Serve the Pasta alla Genovese hot.
Hanna says
Thank you for an awesome recipe. I’ve made it today and it’s an exceptionally tasty meal, I definitely will cook it again