Campania / Onion Ragu

Pasta alla Genovese Napoletana

A Neapolitan onion-and-beef sauce with no connection to basil pesto, served with broken ziti or paccheri.

210 minutes Medium Serves 6 ziti

Method

  1. Brown beef in olive oil and remove.
  2. Add onions, carrot, celery, salt, and bay leaf.
  3. Cook slowly until onions collapse and turn sweet.
  4. Return beef, add wine, cover, and simmer until meat is tender.
  5. Shred some meat into the onion sauce.
  6. Cook pasta and toss with the sauce; serve extra meat as a second course if desired.
Cook's note: The onions need time, not sugar. Low heat turns them into sauce.

Why this dish belongs to Campania

Despite the name, pasta alla Genovese is a Naples classic: onions melt around beef into a sweet, savory ragu.

Read the Campania pasta history page

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