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, 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 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 or Tagliatelle al 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 home to home, so you can put your own spin on this recipe if you like.
Classic Tagliatelle al Ragù Ingredients
Occasionally L’s Mom makes her ragù using home-canned tomato passata while other times she’ll use finely diced Mutti canned tomatoes. She almost never 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 Mutti tomatoes and extra virgin olive oil. You may pay a little more for Mutti canned tomatoes stateside, but they’re worth it.
- 3 to 3 1/2 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
- 1/2 celery stalk, finely diced
- 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil (42g)
- salt to taste
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
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.
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- 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 1/4 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.
How to make Simple Tagliatelle al Ragù (Quick + Delicious Method)
If you’re short on time and still want a wholesome homemade pasta sauce, cut the total cooking time down to 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 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 1/4 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 is the Goldilocks of Egg Pasta — not too thin nor too thick, it’s just right
How to Cook Better Pasta at Home (Tips for Cooking Pasta Like Italy Does It)
If you’ve eaten a forkful of pasta at your favorite restaurant you may have wondered why it can sometimes be so much richer and velvety (even tastier) than the stuff you make at home. Restaurants typically use more fat (and sometimes dairy) than you’d ever imagine cooking with at home. And one of the biggest differences between your spaghetti and theirs mostly comes down to cooking techniques and the quality of ingredients used. In order to bring out the best texture, flavor, and maximum pasta goodness, follow the guidelines below.
- Don’t pre-cook your pasta noodles. In most cases, try to time the pasta so that the sauce is ready just before (or well in advance of) the noodles and not the other way around.
- Add starchy pasta cooking water to the sauce. Just before the noodles are finished cooking to “al dente” doneness, add a little starchy water to the sauce and stir.
- Don’t over-salt the cooking water. If the pasta cooking water is too salty, it’ll make your final sauce too salty when it gets added. Alternatively, if the pasta water is not salty enough, the noodles will be bland.
- Cook the pasta directly in the sauce at the end and toss. When you can, it’s good to finish cooking the noodles directly in the sauce for 30 seconds to 2 minutes. But this is not a technique to be used when making Pasta alla Carbonara because egg yolks are involved.
- Don’t add any cheese while the sauce is boiling, simmering, or otherwise cooking. Adding grated cheese to a pasta sauce while it’s cooking, causes the cheese to separate and become stringy. The fat in the cheese will separate leaving the sauce oily. Instead, remove the sauce or pasta from the heat and add the cheese after 15-20 seconds. Alternatively, in some recipes, you may serve the grated cheese at the table instead of adding it directly to the pasta.
- Skip the dairy. Butter and cream aren’t necessary to create a smooth velvety texture to pasta, although in the right amounts and in the right sauce the addition can be delicious. If you’re using dairy to enhance the flavor, go for it, but if you’re just trying to create a better mouthfeel, use the techniques above and you can’t go wrong.
- If the sauce is tomato-based use Mutti brand tomatoes (or the best San Marzano DOP tomatoes). My recommended canned tomato brand to use for all your tomato-based pasta sauces in the States (and around the world) is Mutti. These are the best 100% Italian (non-GMO, no additives or preservatives added), commercially canned tomatoes from near and around Parma, Italy. These tomatoes are available in the US (and other global markets including China. In Italy, if your family doesn’t grow and can their own tomatoes, or buy them from a local producer, Mutti is a staple found in just about every cupboard here. The reason is simple — these tomatoes are delicious with intense real tomato flavor. We have access to an abundant variety of high-quality canned tomatoes that we love and buy, but we still always keep Mutti on hand. They’re consistently great-tasting. This is important when I’m developing and sharing recipes. I want the Biting audience to have the best possible results when replicating a dish at home. Using a consistent brand that’s available to me (and you) makes the most sense. I’m not paid by Mutti. for the endorsement. They’re just one of the best brands out there, and using them absolutely will make all the difference in your homemade pasta and pizza sauces.
♡ Even the Vending Machines in Italy Sell Tagliatelle and Tomato Passata ♡
Classic Italian Beef Ragù tips + tricks +FAQ’s
- What’s “soffritto” and is it the same as “mirepoix”? Soffritto is the Italian word for “under-fried” or “fried slowly”. It’s the process of gently cooking diced vegetables (usually onions, carrots, and celery) in olive oil until soft (not browned) and the flavors are released. It’s similar to the French “mirepoix” which also uses onions, carrots, and celery but uses butter instead of olive oil to fry them in.
- What is tagliatelle? Tagliatelle means “cut pasta”. The original pasta was only made with eggs this is still the preferred version eaten by Italians. It’s about 1/2 inch wide (a little wider than fettuccine but narrower than pappardelle) and looks like golden ribbons when cooked.
- Where was tagliatelle invented? Where does tagliatelle come from? Tagliatelle means “cut pasta” and the original pasta was only made with eggs. It’s about 1/2 inch wide (a little wider than fettuccine but narrower than pappardelle). Legend says that this pasta shape was invented in 1487 as an homage to Lucrezia Borgia’s long blonde flowing hair when she was about to marry the Duke of Ferrara. But, it seems likelier that this pasta was invented much earlier around 1338 in Modena as it’s depicted in the “Compendium de naturis et proprietatibus alimentorum”, which is a list of local Emilia-Romagna culinary terms for foods compiled in 1338 by Barnaba de Ritinis da Reggio di Modena.
Let’s get started!
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Tagliatelle al Ragù (Classic Northern Italian Beef Ragù)
- Total Time: 2 hours 10 minutes
- Yield: 4 to 6 servings depending on hunger level 1x
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 1/2 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
- 1/2 celery stalk, finely diced
- 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil (42g)
- salt to taste
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
Authentic Tagliatelle al Ragù (Braised Method)
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- 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 1/4 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 1/4 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: 1/2 cup
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