Learn how to make the traditional Italian dish Pasta Alla Genovese, a delicious beef and onion roast that produces the most amazing sauce that is served 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

The Best Dish For Entertaining!

Pasta alla Genovese is one of my favorite Italian recipes. It is a dish 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.

Though it may seem by looking at the picture that this pasta alla Genovese has tomatoes in it, it actually does not. This Italian dish consists of slow-cooked beef with onions and aromatics which produces the most delicious Genovese sauce. This Genovese sauce is then mixed in with pasta while the tender and delicious slow-cooked beef is served on the side for an amazing Italian meal.

When you make this dish, you are blessed with a meat course, and a delicious ragu that is served over pasta. It is my family's effortless entertaining dish that we make for friends and family. I share in the tips section below the best way to plate it.

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 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.

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.

Tips

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.
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.

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5 from 8 votes