Northern Italy is known for its varied and delicious ragùs. And this classic beef ragù comes from Emilia-Romagna. A region that you may know as the gastronomic powerhouse where Ragù alla Bolognese, Prosciutto di Parma, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, Grana Padano cheese, tortellini, and balsamic vinegar all come from, just to name a few.
So, it's no surprise this is also where the beloved Tagliatelle al Ragù originates from. This Modenese-style beef ragù is a perfect sauce to use in your favorite lasagna, layered into piping hot baked ziti, or to make the best bowl of chewy pappardelle or tagliatelle.
What is Northern Italian Beef Ragù
Classic Northern Italian ragù or Tagliatelle al Ragù is a pasta sauce from Modena, Italy that's made of lean ground beef, tomato passata (purêed strained tomatoes usually found in a jar), extra virgin olive oil, onion, celery, carrot, garlic, and a little salt and black pepper. But what makes this different than the average "American spaghetti sauce" that most of us grew up eating?
For starters, the soffrito (onions, carrots, and celery) and the beef is braised (cooked low and slow) for about an hour before the tomato purée is added. Then the sauce cooks for at least another hour (for a total of about 2 hours) until luscious and thick.
This longer cooking time elevates an already great-tasting pasta sauce, becoming an intensely flavored, thick ragù. But all ragù recipes vary from region to region and even from home to home, so you can put your own spin on this recipe if you like.
Classic Tagliatelle al Ragù Ingredients
Occasionally, Luca's mamma makes her ragù using home-canned tomato passata, while other times she'll use finely diced Mutti canned tomatoes. She rarely cooks it for 2 hours and instead usually has everything ready in just about 40 minutes to 1 hour.
It's delicious because she uses simple but high-quality ingredients, starting with the tomatoes and extra virgin olive oil. You may pay a little more for Mutti canned tomatoes stateside, but they're worth it for a good non-San Marzano tomato option.
- tagliatelle egg pasta
- tomato passata (OR finely diced tomatoes)
- lean ground beef
- onio
- carrot
- garlic
- celery
- extra virgin olive oil
- salt
- freshly ground black pepper (optional)
Below you'll find cooking instructions for both the Classic Tagliatelle al Ragù & a Quick Tagliatelle al Ragù with photos of each. Same delicious recipe, but slightly different cooking times - Both delicious & authentically Italian.
How to Make Classic Tagliatelle al Ragù (Slow-cooked Braised Method)
If you have a little more time to spend in the kitchen, I recommend doubling this recipe. Then portion and freeze half of it to make quick, delicious pasta anytime, even through the week, or when you just don't feel like cooking.
- Make the soffritto. In a medium saucepot, heat the olive oil over medium, and add onions, carrots, celery, garlic, and a little salt. Cover with a lid, reduce the heat to low, and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft and translucent but not browned.
- Cook the ground beef. Add the ground beef to the soffrito, add salt and black pepper to taste, and stir to combine. Cook on low heat with the lid on for about 1 hour.
- Make the ragù. Add the jarred passata (or finely diced canned tomatoes) to the beef mixture and stir well to combine. Adjust seasonings, adding more salt and pepper if necessary, return the lid and continue cooking over low heat for another 40 to 60 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened into a ragù.
- Cook the pasta and finish the ragù. In lightly salted boiling water, cook pasta to al dente according to package instructions. At just about 3 minutes before noodles are cooked to al dente, ladle in approximately ¼ cup starchy pasta water to the ragù to help emulsify the sauce and better coat the noodles. Adjust seasonings, and add strained pasta to the sauce. Toss to combine and serve with a little grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, and Enjoy!
NOTE: Adding starchy pasta water to the sauce helps emulsify it, giving it a better mouthfeel and it helps the sauce stick better to the noodles.
How to make Simple Tagliatelle al Ragù (Quick Method)
If you're short on time and still want a wholesome homemade pasta sauce, cut the total cooking time in half and you'll end up with this really delicious pasta sauce. I recommend doubling the recipe to portion and freeze for easy weeknight meals.
- Make the soffritto. In a medium saucepot, heat the olive oil over medium, and add onions, carrots, celery, garlic, and a little salt. Cover with a lid, reduce the heat to low, and cook stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes, or until vegetables are soft and translucent but not browned.
- Cook the ground beef. Add ground beef to the soffrito and salt to taste. Stir the mixture to combine and cook over medium-high heat with the lid on for about 8-10 minutes, or until the meat is browned and cooked through.
- Make the ragù. Add finely diced canned tomatoes to the beef mixture and stir to combine. Adjust seasoning, adding more salt if necessary, return the lid and continue cooking for another 25-30 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened. Remove the garlic clove before serving.
- Cook the pasta and finish the ragù. In lightly salted boiling water, cook pasta to al dente according to package instructions. At just about 3 minutes before noodles are cooked to al dente, ladle in approximately ¼ cup starchy pasta water to the ragù to help emulsify the sauce and better coat the noodles. Adjust seasonings, and add strained pasta to the sauce. Toss to combine and serve with a little grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and enjoy!
Tagliatelle vs. Fettuccine vs. Pappardelle in Photos
Vending Machines in Italy Selling Tagliatelle and Tomato Passata ♡
Classic Italian Beef Ragù FAQ
Soffritto is the Italian word for "under-fried" or "fried slowly" - the process of gently cooking diced onions, carrots, and celery in olive oil until soft (not browned) and the flavors are released. It's similar to the French mirepoix, which uses the same vegetables but cooked in butter instead of olive oil.
Tagliatelle means "cut pasta." Made with eggs only, it's about ½ inch wide - slightly wider than fettuccine but narrower than pappardelle - and looks like golden ribbons when cooked. Egg-only tagliatelle remains the preferred version in Italy.
One legend says tagliatelle was invented in 1487 as an homage to Lucrezia Borgia's long blonde hair on the occasion of her marriage to the Duke of Ferrara. More likely, it originated earlier - around 1338 in Modena, where it appears in the "Compendium de naturis et proprietatibus alimentorum," a list of local Emilia-Romagna culinary terms compiled by Barnaba de Ritinis da Reggio di Modena.
Let's get started!
Print📖 Recipe
Tagliatelle al Ragù (Classic Northern Italian Beef Ragù)
- Total Time: 2 hours 10 minutes
- Yield: 4 to 6 servings depending on hunger level
Description
This delicious Tagliatelle al Ragù is an authentic recipe from Northern Italy that's made with braised beef and tomatoes and cooked low and slow until it becomes a cozy warm thick ragù. Recipes vary from region to region and home to home which is why I've also included L's Mom's instructions for cooking her (quicker) ragù. It uses exactly the same ingredients but takes less time to make. Whatever your schedule allows, you can't go wrong because this ragù sauce delicious!
Ingredients
- 3 to 3 ½ ounces tagliatelle egg pasta per person (85-100g per person)
- 20-ounce jar of tomato passata (560g) (OR two 14-ounce cans finely diced tomatoes) *Mutti brand
- 1 pound lean ground beef (453g)
- 1 medium white onion, finely diced
- 1 medium carrot, finely diced
- 1 garlic clove, smashed
- ½ celery stalk, finely diced
- 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil (42g)
- salt to taste
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
Get Recipe Ingredients
Instructions
Authentic Tagliatelle al Ragù (Braised Method)
-
- Make the soffrito. In a medium saucepot, heat the olive oil over medium, and add onions, carrots, celery, garlic, and a little salt. Cover with a lid, reduce heat to low, and cook stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes, or until vegetables are soft and translucent but not browned.
- Cook the ground beef. Add the ground beef to the soffrito, add salt and black pepper to taste, and stir to combine. Cook on low heat with the lid on for about 1 hour.
- Make the ragù. Add the jarred passata (or finely diced canned tomatoes) to the beef mixture and stir well to combine. Adjust seasonings adding more salt and pepper if necessary, return the lid and continue cooking over low heat for another 40 to 60 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened into a ragù.
- Cook the pasta and finish the ragù. In lightly salted boiling water, cook pasta to al dente according to package instructions. At just about 3 minutes before noodles are cooked to al dente, ladle in approximately ¼ cup starchy pasta water to the ragù to help emulsify the sauce and better coat the noodles. Adjust seasonings, and add strained pasta to the sauce. Toss to combine and serve with a little grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and Enjoy!
*Adding starchy pasta water to the sauce helps emulsify it giving it a better mouthfeel and helps the sauce stick better to the noodles.
*See notes below for Simple Tagliatelle al Ragù (Quick Method) for the recipe.
Notes
- Double or triple the sauce and freeze portions for easy weeknight meals. Thaw in the fridge overnight or place the frozen sauce into a pan with a little extra virgin olive oil, cover with a lid and reheat gently over low heat.
- Use dried or fresh tagliatelle egg pasta depending upon what's available to you. There is also a version of tagliatelle that's not egg pasta but rather is a semolina hard wheat pasta without eggs. Italians eat this ragù with egg pasta because it's so delicious. I recommend doing the same.
- Use this Ragù in lasagna or baked ziti for a delicious homemade meat sauce everyone will love.
Simple Tagliatelle al Ragù (Quick Method)
- Make the soffrito. In a medium saucepot, heat the olive oil over medium, and add onions, carrots, celery, garlic, and a little salt. Cover with a lid, reduce heat to low, and cook stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes, or until vegetables are soft and translucent but not browned.
- Cook the ground beef. Add ground beef to the soffrito and salt to taste. Stir the mixture to combine and cook over medium-high heat with the lid on for about 8-10 minutes, or until the meat is browned and cooked through.
- Make the ragù. Add finely diced canned tomatoes to the beef mixture and stir to combine. Adjust seasoning adding more salt if necessary, return the lid and continue cooking for another 25-30 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened. Remove the garlic clove before serving.
- Cook the pasta and finish the ragù. In lightly salted boiling water, cook pasta to al dente according to package instructions. At just about 3 minutes before noodles are cooked to al dente, ladle in approximately ¼ cup starchy pasta water to the ragù to help emulsify the sauce and better coat the noodles. Adjust seasonings, and add strained pasta to the sauce. Toss to combine and serve with a little grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and Enjoy!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 hours
- Category: Pasta
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ½ cup
Timothy S. says
Delicious! Used organic canned DOP tomatoes and lean ground beef:)