Slow-Simmered Meat Sauce Pasta
Beef ragu tagliatelle is an Italian meat sauce pasta where ground beef simmers with finely diced soffritto - onion, carrot, and celery - for ninety minutes or longer until the vegetables dissolve into the sauce entirely. Tomato paste caramelizes early in the process to build a sweet, concentrated base, and red wine deglazes the pot to lift every bit of fond into the liquid. The long, low simmer breaks down the meat into small, tender fragments suspended in a thick, glossy sauce that clings to broad pasta ribbons. Wide tagliatelle noodles trap this ragu in their folds and surface texture, delivering full, heavy beef flavor with every strand.
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Instructions
- 1
Finely dice onion, carrot, and celery, then cook in olive oil for 8 minutes.
- 2
Add ground beef and brown over high heat until moisture evaporates.
- 3
Pour in red wine and reduce for 2-3 minutes to cook off alcohol.
- 4
Add tomato puree, milk, bay leaf, salt, and pepper; simmer gently for 80 minutes.
- 5
Stir occasionally to prevent sticking, adding a little water if sauce gets too thick.
- 6
Cook tagliatelle, toss with sauce, and simmer 1 more minute to coat the pasta.
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