Pasta alla Genovese

Pasta alla Genovese is a classic Neapolitan dish that's rich, meaty, and incredibly comforting. Sweet onions and beef slowly cook down until caramelized and fall-apart tender, creating a ragù that tastes like a cross between French onion soup and pot roast, only better. It gets tossed with pasta and a shower of grated Parmigiano for a dish that's so delicious you'll want to double the recipe!

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Although Genovese is my family name (my grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins all bear the name!), I only learned about this dish a few years ago when it started circulating online. I couldn't believe I'd never heard of it before, and I couldn't wait to give it a try!

It's unlike any pasta dish I've ever had before, and definitely different from the traditional Sunday sauce I grew up eating. 

My family's roots are in Sicily, but this super regional dish comes from Naples, so it's no wonder we'd never heard of it, even though it bears our name.  

Once I made Pasta alla Genovese for the first time, I knew it would become a regular recipe in my repertoire. 

It's especially great during these cold winter months when I crave meals that really stick to your ribs. This is one of them! 

What is Pasta alla Genovese 

The best way to describe the flavor of pasta Genovese is almost like a cross between French onion soup and pot roast, but it's also its own thing entirely. 

Essentially, it's a ragù made with onions, beef and/or pork, wine, and aromatics that get slowly braised for hours, resulting in a sweet, savory, glossy sauce that's traditionally served with tubular pasta.

There are tons of slight variations on the recipe, but the onions and beef are the stars. 

By the way, this is completely different from pesto alla Genovese, which is the traditional basil, olive oil, garlic, cheese and pine nut sauce from Genoa, Liguria, in Northern Italy. 

Pasta alla Genovese uses a crazy amount of onions that get braised down until they are soft, jammy and sweet. 

I'm not gonna lie - it's a lot of onions to cut, and I cry my eyes out every time I make this recipe! But it's totally worth it, and I can't wait for you to experience it for yourself. 

For meat, beef shanks are traditional, but they can be hard to find, so I use a cut-up chuck roast instead. To make up for the bones, I like to add in a marrow bone to provide that extra flavor. You can leave the bone out, but it adds an extra oomph to the sauce that you won't get from just the meat alone. 

You can easily use any other meat here that's good for slow cooking, just make sure it has a decent amount of fat and marbling to make sure it gets really soft and falls apart, which is key to the sauce. 

I always keep parmesan cheese rinds stashed in my freezer, so I usually throw one into the sauce to give it even more depth. But again, you can skip this if you don't have one. 

I like to add plenty of white wine and a handful of cherry tomatoes for a little bit of acidity, which balances out the sweetness of the onions. 

I also keep a bag of cherry tomatoes in my freezer leftover from summer, so this is a great way to use them up. You can also use a tablespoon or two of tomato paste in a pinch, but tomatoes are not traditional in this recipe, so you can also leave them out entirely. 

I love adding lots of bay leaves to my version, but some don't add any. I'm a big fan of the subtle flavor that bay imparts, but if you don't like them or don't believe they add anything then go ahead and skip them. 

You can play around with this recipe and adjust it to your taste or substitute whatever ingredients you have on hand. At the end of the day, the sauce will be delicious no matter what!

I find it's best to slow cook the sauce in the oven, rather than on the stovetop, since the sugars in the onions can easily scorch on the bottom of the pan. The oven maintains even heat all around and prevents any burning, but you can easily cook it on the stove too if you prefer. 

The traditional pasta used for this dish is called ziti spezzati, which is a long tubular pasta that gets broken up by hand. I just use regular ziti which is more commonly found in grocery stores, but any tubular pasta like paccheri or rigatoni will be great. 

The key to finishing the dish is to toss the pasta in the pan with plenty of grated Parmigiano Reggiano and pasta water to help the sauce get creamy and cling to the noodles. 

Plate it up with a little parsley if you want, plus more grated parm and a nice drizzle of good extra virgin olive oil. 

Since it takes a bit of time and effort to make, I like to double the recipe and then freeze half of the sauce for later. It freezes really well and is so nice to pull out of the freezer for a super cozy slow cooked meal with very little effort.  

You'll definitely want to make extra. Trust me, you'll be so glad you did!

How to Make Pasta alla Genovese

1. Heat the olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Season the beef generously with salt and pepper, then add it to the pot in a single layer. Cook, turning occasionally, until browned on several sides, then transfer the meat to a plate and set aside.

2. Add the carrot and celery along with a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes.
3. Add the sliced onions, bay leaves and another pinch of salt. Stir well to coat everything in the oil, then add ½ cup of water. Cover and reduce the heat to medium-low.
4. Cook, stirring every 5 minutes, until the onions have softened and released their liquid, about 20-30 minutes. 

5. While the onions cook, preheat the oven to 325°F. 
6. Uncover the pot and add the white wine. Nestle the beef back into the pot along with the marrow bone, if using, then cover completely with onions.
7. Cover the pot, then transfer to the oven and cook for 1 hour. 
8. Give everything a stir, then add the cherry tomatoes and the Parm rind if using. If a lot of liquid has evaporated and the pot looks dry, add a splash of water. 
9. Cover and return the pot to the oven for an additional 2-3 hours, checking and stirring halfway through. Add more water as needed to keep it moist. It's done when the onions are very soft and jammy and the beef is easily falling apart.
10. Remove the beef and set aside to cool slightly, then remove the Parm rind, bay leaves and marrow bone. If using a marrow bone, scoop the softened marrow into the pot and discard the bone. Mix in the marrow so it's fully incorporated into the sauce. 
11. Shred the beef while it's still warm, then return it to the pot and stir to combine. Taste and adjust with more salt and pepper as needed. 

12. Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta until al dente. Reserve about 1 cup of pasta water, then drain. 

13. Add the pasta directly to the sauce along with a splash of pasta water. Cook over low heat while stirring and tossing constantly.
14. Add a little bit of grated Parmigiano Reggiano, a little bit of parsley if desired and more pasta water as needed, then continue tossing until the sauce clings to the pasta and looks cohesive. 
15. Serve hot with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and plenty of freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano.

Genovese Pasta FAQs