Authentic Pasta Alla Genovese Recipe (Beef And Onion Genovese Roast With Pasta)

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Learn how to make traditional Italian dish Pasta Alla Genovese right at home. It is a delicious beef and onion ragu, that is made by simmering beef and onions on the stovetop until tender then tossed with pasta. This authentic recipe will transport you to the streets of Naples with its rich flavors and comforting taste.

pasta genovese top view — meat and onion ragu

Why You Will Love This Genovese Pasta

Pasta alla Genovese is one of my favorite family Italian recipes. This classic stovetop Genovese sauce is a dish that comes from Napoli (Naples), not Genoa, Italy despite its name. Much like Naple's ragù alla napoletana, Genovese sauce is a really simple and delicious beef ragu that anyone can make (and it is not the same as pesto Genovese!)

Though it may seem by looking at the picture that this pasta alla Genovese has tomatoes in it, it actually does not since it a type of ragu bianco (ragu without tomatoes). This Italian dish consists of slow-cooked beef that is cooked in a heavy bottom pot on the stovetop with onions and aromatics.

It produces the most delicious sauce. This beef roast is shredded then mixed with the onion based sauce and mixed in with pasta.

When you make this dish, you are blessed with a meat course (the way my family serves it- more on that below), and a delicious ragu that is served over pasta. It is a dish that my family has made for generations for effortless entertaining for friends and family.

Most people have not heard of this dish who are not from Italy, so enjoy the meal with your guests and tell the story of its origins.

pasta genovese at table — Both the pasta and Italian beef roast are served at the table.

What You Will Need

Beef Chuck roast (boneless). I prefer using a whole chick roast that slowly cooks in one piece in the pot. This way I can plate the entire slow-cooked roast and serve it as one course and the pasta as a second course.
Onions (lots of them). The onions are what make the Genovese sauce what it is. You will be cooking down lots of onions but it will actually end up adding a sweet note to the sauce.
Celery. You do not need a lot. Just 1 celery spear will work.
Pancetta. If you cannot find pancetta, you can use smoked bacon that you dice up.
White wine. The white wine is the acid that balances out all of the flavors.
Rigatoni pasta (or a similar sturdy wide shaped pasta). You can also use ziti for this recipe.
Fresh thyme
Carrots
Olive oil.
Kosher salt and pepper
Fresh good good-quality Parmesan for serving

If you saw a lot of onions part of the ingredients list, it is correct. There are lots of them in this Genovese recipe. To be exact it is around 3 pounds of onions. That is about 4-5 large yellow onions.

genovese roast angle view — Beef roast with the Genovese sauce poured on top.

How To Make Authentic Pasta Alla Genovese

Making this Italian beef and onion roast is so simple. Here is what it looks like (full recipe below):

Prep and Sear Beef: The first thing you are going to do is prepare all of your ingredients and in a heavy bottom pot on the stovetop, sear your meat over medium-high heat. Searing of the meat will add richness to the Genovese sauce.

Make sure you do not skip this step! Searing the meat really helps to seal in the flavor.

slicing onions thin for genovese sauce — Slice your onions very thin.

tying meat for genovese sauce — Slice your onions very thin.

Add Veggies and Aromatics: The next steps are going to be adding in all that flavor that is in the Genovese sauce; the pancetta, onions, thyme, and carrots. You want to make sure you saute them well so they release all of their juices and flavor. This is going to blend into the sauce that is made from the meat juices.

Mix it all together and slow cook: Add the meat to the pot and cover it with a lid.

adding herbs to genovese sauce — Sauté your veggies and pancetta.

adding meat to genovese sauce — Sauté your veggies and pancetta.

Stir: Let it all simmer together for about an hour. After that, you flip the meat over and give it another couple of hours for the meat to become tender and the onions to develop into a sauce.

It is so good and so simple!

I really love how easy this recipe is to make. I will serve it on holidays when I am entertaining, and just for family.

Do You Have To Shred The Whole Roast?

I prefer to shred half of the beef roast into the sauce that I mix with the pasta. This gives me extra meat I can serve on the side if people want more.

There is lots of beef so if you prefer lots of shredded beef mixed with the pasta, shred all of it. If you prefer a lighter amount like I do, just shred half and serve the other half on a plate with a serving fork.

Making Ahead, Storing and Re-Heating

Preparing this ahead of time: You can prepare this pasta alla Genovese recipe ahead of time by prepping your veggies (onions and carrots) and storing them in a sealed container until ready to cook. You can also tie your meat ahead of time which will save you most of the prepping time when you are ready to start cooking it.
Storing: For storing the cooked Genovese, you want to store the roast and the Genovese sauce together in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. If you have pasta left over, store that separately in the fridge for up to 3 days as well. If you want to freeze this, place the sauce and meat in a freezer-proof bag and freeze for up to 2 months.
Re-heating: To reheat the meat, just pre-heat an oven to 350 degrees. Place your meat and sauce in aluminum foil and seal it well so it does not leak. Place in the oven for 30-35 minutes or until the sauce is nice and hot and the meat is warmed through. I do not recommend re-heating the pasta. It will be better to make a fresh batch of pasta and add the warmed sauce to it. Reserve a little of the pasta water in case the pasta and sauce are too dry.

A bowl of pasta with meat and vegetables on a table.

My Tips For The Most Delicious Pasta Genovese

Here are some of my best tips for making this recipe!

The best cuts of meat to use: This recipe calls for a chuck roast but if you cannot find that, any thick collagen-rich cut of beef will work. Just make sure you purchase a whole beef roast, not stewed beef that is cut up. You want a whole large piece of meat for the braising.
Best pasta to use: Any large thick hearty pasta shape will work for the pasta portion of this recipe. Penne, rigatoni, or even ziti are all great options.
Make this in a heavy bottom pot on the stovetop: While there may be versions of this recipe made in the oven, I have found the stovetop to be the best method (and its traditonal). To keep the heat even I like to use a heavy bottom pot like enameled cast iron to make this. Most of the cooking is hands off time with an occasional stir.
How to plate this Italian dish: When serving this, you want to add one or two ladles of the Genovese sauce to the pasta and toss well. Then serve the pasta in a large bowl. On a large serving platter, plate the roast with the remaining Genovese sauce poured over the top.

Recipe Faqs

Can Pasta alla Genovese be made in the oven?

Yes, it can be made in the oven but since the oven dries out the meat faster, you will need to tend to it more often to braise the meat. Cooking it on the stovetop is recommended and the traditional way of cooking it.

Are there any tomatoes in pasta all Genovese?

There are no tomatoes in a traditional Genovese sauce. Although it looks like a tomato based ragu, the color from the Genovese sauce comes from the slow cooked beef and carrots.

What To Serve With Pasta alla Genovese

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5 from 8 votes

Prep Time20

Cook Time3

Total Time3 20

Servings: servings

Author: Melissa Oleary

Ingredients

2 lbs Boneless Beef Chuck roast
3 lbs Yellow Spanish onions sliced very thin
1 lb Rigatoni or any other wide sturdy pasta
1 cup good white wine I like a nice Italian white wine for this like pinot grigio
3 carrots cleaned and diced small
1 celery spear finely diced
4 ounces cubed pancetta you can find this in your deli
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon kosher salt plus more to taste
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
2 sprigs of fresh thyme

Instructions

Grab all of your ingredients and have them ready.
Slice your onions as thin as possible and set aside.
3 lbs Yellow Spanish onions
Dice your carrots and set aside.
3 carrots cleaned and diced small
Tie your beef with kitchen twine. This helps hold the meat together during cooking. If you do not have twine that is ok.
2 lbs Boneless Beef Chuck roast
Pre-heat a heavy bottom dutch oven or pot on medium high heat.
Add your salt and pepper to your beef roast.
1 tablespoon kosher salt, ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Add your olive oil and red pepper flakes to the pot and cook for 1 minute.
2 tablespoon olive oil, ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Add your beef roast to the pot and sear all sides of the beef.
Once the beef is seared on all sides, remove from the pot and place on a plate.
Now reduce heat to medium and add your pancetta, celery, and diced carrots to your pot still over medium heat and cook until the pancetta is crispy.
4 ounces cubed pancetta, 1 celery spear
Add your sprigs of thyme to the pot and your beef roast.
2 sprigs of fresh thyme
Add your sliced onions over top of the beef roast and cover and let simmer for about 1 hour.
After 1 hour, flip the beef roast over and place the lid back on your pot and let simmer for 2 more hours.
After a total of 3 hours, check your beef roast and make sure it is fork tender. If it is, remove the roast from the oven and place on a plate and cover with aluminum foil.
Now add your wine to the pot and simmer with the lid off for 5 minutes.
1 cup good white wine
After 5 minutes, place the lid back on your pot and continue simmering over low.

Pasta

Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil.
Once boiling, add a large handful of salt to the pot.
Now add your pasta and cook according to the manufacturers instructions for al dente.
1 lb Rigatoni
Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water and drain pasta when ready.
Pour drained pasta back into the pot.

Assembling the Pasta Genovese

Add ¼ of your reserved pasta water to your Genovese sauce and mix well.
If Genovese sauce looks to thick you can add a little more pasta water as needed.
Lightly shred or cut up the roast based on your preference and mix it into the sauce.
Scoop a few ladles of your Genovese sauce over your pasta and mix it in.
Serve pasta with the remaining sauce on the side.
Serve with copious amounts of fresh Parmesan.

Notes

Making pasta Genovese in the slow cooker

You can make this pasta alla Genovese recipe in the slow cooker if you want by following all of the steps up to the point of simmering the roast. From there you just add your ingredients to a slow cooker and turn on low for 6-7 hours or until the meat is tender.

It actually will cook in just a few hours simmering on the stove top which I find more convenient.

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