I'd just learned to make Ragu Sauce in a tiny Tuscan hill town when I wrote this sentence in my journal: "I am skeptical about the recipes; they are so simple. But they mock me by being delicious!" We had just finished a cooking class and Giovanna was our teacher.
At Podera Vignale, a small farm and agriturismo in rural Tuscany, Giovanna taught us to make traditional Italian: Tiramisu, Cantucci, and Ragu sauce.
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Hands-On Cooking Class in Tuscany
Keith and I spent nine weeks exploring Italy - 65 days to be exact. We began in Venice and ended in Rome. For us, the trip to Italy was long saved for and carefully planned. It satisfied our curiosity; it disappointed and delighted us. But, like you would imagine, it wasn't the cities that we explored, like Florence and Rome, or even tiny, Tuscan towns like Civitella Marittima that made their way into our hearts. When we remember Italy, above all, we remember the wonderful people that we met along the way.
I want you to meet one of those people today, her name is Giovanna. Keith and I fell in love with her and with her father on two of the best, most memorable days of our trip.
First there was the cooking class with Giovanna, with gravity defying, dirt road adventures, hand-drawn fifty-eights to frighten flies, and mouth-watering recipes. You can read more about that here. The very next day we spent with Carlo, Giovanna's father, zipping along rural Tuscan roads to organic vineyards and olive groves, with an emergency detour to the vet for a viper-bitten dog - again, more here.
Since then, Giovanna and I have kept in close contact and have become good friends. And she is graciously letting me share her recipe for authentic Italian Ragù. I asked Giovanna to share a little bit about her story so that you'll feel like you know her. I loved what she wrote, so I'll share it in her words:
I was born and grew up in Como. I started my biology degree at the university of Milan, but at a certain point decided to travel and have some other experiences. So I went to San Francisco to work in a marine biology rescue center, then on to Puglia, south of Italy, to do my final project or thesis for my biology degree. There I was studying a lone, sociable dolphin.
In Puglia I met my future husband and fell in love with him and in 2001 followed him to Tuscany. In that time, my father was opening the farmhouse so I decided to help him for a while, but then it became my job - forgetting about my studies and my university ... I've lost the pleasure to study, I thought it was for nothing ... bad mistake !!!
in 2006 i got married and in 2007 Marco was born. With the baby I could not work full time at the farmhouse, staying so far from my husband so I moved to Livorno. Together we looked for a house. We found a lovely house in Fauglia (Pisa) that we bought and it's where we are living now. This house, my sweet home now, became my little nest and now it's where I can think about my projects; where I can test recipes and write my blog; and where I often leave to go to Podere Vignali.
I love my life in Fauglia, that it's in the province of Pisa but 20km from Livorno. I've met nice people and new friends. With 2 moms we started to walk around Pisa to discover new places and have a lot of fun. My life is now divided between Fauglia where I can have my "everyday" normal but nice routine, and Podere Vignali where I'm very happy to meet people from other countries and makes new friends, like you Marissa.
More Authentic Italian Pastas to Try
When you read this ragu recipe for the first time, resist the impression that it's too simple, that the flavor will be bland - my first thoughts and oh, so wrong. (The same goes for this Bolognese Sauce, Bucatini all'Amatriciana, Pasta Aglio e Olio and Cheesy Italian Meatballs too.) When you make it, resist the urge to add more flavors such as pepper or herbs. I promise that you'll be rewarded with a complex, chunky, even magic, pasta sauce.
How to Make Ragu Sauce
Step 1: Cook onion, carrot and celery in olive oil until onion is translucent.
Step 2: Add ground beef and cook and stir until browned.
Step 3: Stir in red wine and a pinch of salt; let simmer until the wine has evaporated.
Step 4: Stir in tomato sauce; cover and let simmer on low for one hour, stirring occasionally.
Step 5: Serve tossed with a broad, flat pasta like tagliatelle cooked according to package directions. Top with
Recipe Video
Ragu Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 1 carrot finely chopped
- 1 rib celery finely chopped
- 1 lb ground beef
- 16 ounces tomato sauce
- pinch fine sea salt
- 5 ounces red wine
- coarse salt
- 16 ounces tagliatelle or other broad, flat pasta
- grated Parmigiano Reggiano for serving, optional
- minced Italian parsley for serving, optional
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, and celery; cook and stir until the onion becomes translucent. Add ground beef, cook and stir until browned.
- Add a pinch of salt and red wine, stir, and let it evaporate. When all the liquid is gone, add tomato sauce, stir, season with coarse salt to taste. Cover and let simmer very slow at low heat for an hour or a little more. Stir the sauce occasionally to ensure that it's not beginning to stick on the bottom.
- Serve tossed with broad, flat pasta – such as tagliatelle – cooked according to package directions. Top with Parmigiano Reggiano and parsley if desired.
Notes
- If you like a saucier pasta, use the sauce to serve 4 and reduce the amount of pasta to 8 to 12 ounces.
- A note from Giovanna: "Remember you have to follow slowly all the steps, never be in a hurry… about a couple of hours to prepare it!"
What is the serving size for the 545 kcal?
Hi there, Harry. This recipe serves 6, so it's 1/6th of the pasta (~2.6 ounces dry) and 1/6th of the sauce. It doesn't include any extra cheese that is sprinkled on top. Hope that helps. 🙂
I am a registered citizen of Pescia Italy although I was born in California. My parents tried to move back to Italy in 1935. The one thing I always remember about my mother's cooking was that the true Tuscan meat sauce always contained a small amount of Chicken Livers. That truly made a meat sauce taste more earthy. My wife and I have made many trips back since 1970 to be with family in a very small village of Calimari just north of Pescia.
Such great memories, Arturo. Thank you for sharing them with me. And so interesting about the chicken livers - I bet they do add a wonderful depth of flavor to meat sauce.
I love ragu and if I spot it on the menu in a restaurant, that's it - I know what I'm ordering! And I love recipes that you cook low and slow, no rush, and just wait for those wonderful flavour to develop and blend. I need to make this at home I think! Thanks for sharing the lovely story too, I loved Giovanna's words.
A fellow ragu lover! It always catches my eye on menus too! Thanks so much for your sweet comment, Katerina.
Marissa, your trip to Italy sounds absolutely wonderful! What a dream vacation! This pasta with ragu sauce looks so fantastic. Comfort food at its finest!
Thanks so much, Kelly. It was such a great trip! And, I agree, ragu is my kind of comfort food!
Thank you Marissa for this lovely post, I miss you a lot!!!!! I hope to be able to come to visit you next year , I have a lot of recipes we can try together !!!! 😘
aww...sweet friend! I miss you too!! Please, please do come visit!
I am always looking for quick, easy, few ingredient, and enticing recipes. I try to have just 7 main recipes i can play around with during the work week and this one made that list. This is absolutely fantastic as is but adding meatballs, broccoli or your favorite chicken(breaded, baked or stuffed with cheese!) can really mix it up. I like cupcake pinot noir or something light to add to this sauce. I had never added wine before and this was a game changer. Mushrooms can be added with garlic to make this sauce really pop. It is a very chunky recipe so no worries about adding a little moisture to the mix. Adding a little heavy cream to the sauce for the one hour simmer can turn it into more of a creamy sauce(vodka sauce) for those who shy away from straight tomato bases.. The broad noodles are a must. Fettuccine noodles work ok to provide a base to the meat and sauce since the wider ones are harder to find.
P.S. I love most of the recipes on your site Marissa. I think we have twin pallets!
Thanks for your kind words, Steven! Glad you're enjoying this one!