Beef Ragù with Cavatoni

Beef ragù is a classic of Italian cuisine, and cavatoni, also known as cavatelli, are a type of pasta very suitable for holding the sauce thanks to their concave shape. Here is the recipe for a tasty beef ragù with cavatoni.

Ingredients

• 500 g of cavatoni or another type of short pasta
• 400 g of ground beef
• 1 medium onion
• 1 carrot
• 1 stalk of celery
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 800 ml of tomato puree
• 100 ml of red wine
• 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• A handful of fresh basil
• grated Parmesan cheese for serving

Preparation

1. Finely chop the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic.
2. In a large pan or saucepan, heat the extra virgin olive oil and sauté the chopped vegetables over medium-low heat until they are soft and the onion is translucent.
3. Turn up the heat and add the ground beef, crumbling it with a wooden spoon. Brown it until it has a uniform color.
4. Deglaze with red wine and let it evaporate for a few minutes.
5. Add the tomato puree, salt, and pepper. Reduce the heat and let it simmer slowly for at least 1 hour and 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. If necessary, add a little water to prevent the sauce from drying out too much.
6. At the end of cooking, add the hand-torn fresh basil and correct the seasoning with salt and pepper if necessary.

While the sauce is cooking, bring a pot of salted water to boil and cook the cavatoni following the cooking instructions on the package to have them al dente. Drain the pasta and mix it with some of the ragù to flavor it well.

Serve the cavatoni with the hot beef ragù, add a sprinkling of grated Parmesan cheese and, if you like, some fresh basil leaves for decoration.

Curiosity

The ragù is a sauce from Italian tradition that exists in numerous regional variations, from the most famous like the Bolognese ragù to less known but equally delicious ones. Every family has their “secret” recipe that is passed down from generation to generation. The long cooking is essential to develop the rich flavor and ideal texture of the ragù.