Napolitan Beef Ragu with Pizzoccheri Pasta

Ingredients

FOR THE BEEF RAGU

FOR SERVING

Steps

1. Step 1

   Heat olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the diced onion, carrot, and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent, about 6-8 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

   • 3 tbspextra virgin olive oil
   • 1diced yellow onion
   • 1diced carrot
   • 1 stalkdiced celery stalk
   • 4 clovesminced garlic cloves

2. Step 2

   Increase heat to medium-high and add the ground beef. Break it up with a spoon and cook until browned all over, about 8-10 minutes. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

   • 1 ½ lbground beef (80/20)
   • 1 ½ tspsalt
   • 1 tspfreshly ground black pepper

3. Step 3

   Pour in dry red wine to deglaze the pot, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom. Let the wine reduce by half, about 3-4 minutes. Then add the crushed canned tomatoes, beef broth, dried oregano, dried basil, sliced black olives, and drained capers. Stir to combine.

   • ½ cupdry red wine
   • 1 cupbeef broth
   • 1 tspdried oregano
   • 1 tspdried basil
   • ½ cuppitted black olives, sliced
   • 2 tbspcapers, drained

4. Step 4

   Bring the mixture to a simmer, then reduce heat to low. Cover partially and let the ragu cook gently for about 1 hour 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened and the beef is tender.

5. Step 5

   Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pizzoccheri pasta and cook according to package instructions, usually about 10-12 minutes, until al dente. Drain the pasta, reserving about ½ cup of pasta cooking water.

   • 12 ozpizzoccheri (buckwheat pasta)

6. Step 6

   Toss the drained pizzoccheri with a few tablespoons of the reserved pasta water and a ladle of the beef ragu to coat the pasta evenly. Serve the pasta topped with generous spoonfuls of the beef ragu and a sprinkle of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.

   • 12 ozpizzoccheri (buckwheat pasta)
   • ¾ cupgrated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese