Servings
Font
Back
4.7 from 33 votes

Genovese Sauce - La Genovese Napoletana

Genovese Sauce or La Genovese Napoletana is an incredibly delicious sauce made with a ton of slow cooked onions, beef and white wine. Although it takes time to simmer slowly into the most rich and luscious pasta sauce you'll ever taste it doesn't require much attention and is super simple to make!

Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
4 hrs
Total Time
4 hrs 10 mins
Servings: 6 - 8 servings
Calories: 226 kcal
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients

  • 4 large yellow onions finely sliced *see notes (1 kg)
  • 1 carrot finely chopped
  • 1 celery stock finely chopped
  • 1.3 lbs beef chuck roast or stewing beef cut into medium-large chunks or left whole *see notes for end results (600g)
  • ½ cup white wine 120ml
  • 1 bay leaf
  • ½ cup fresh parsley roughly chopped (a small handful)
  • 1-2 tbsp olive oil
  • salt and pepper for seasoning
  • frsehly grated parmesan for serving

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Prepare all the vegetables (see notes on cutting the onions) and sprinkle the beef with salt and pepper.
  2. Add the olive oil to a large pot on a medium-low heat and add the onions, carrot and celery. Saute the onions for 10 minutes then add the beef, bay and parsley.
  3. Let the beef brown on all sides, you’ll need to stir the mixture around slightly so the beef touches the bottom of the pot.
  4. Cover the pot and let it slowly cook for 3 hours stirring every now and then to make sure it doesn’t stick.
  5. After 3 hours remove the lid and add the white wine. Continue to simmer the ragu on a medium-low heat for another hour.
  6. Once done taste and add more salt to taste then toss with cooked and drained pasta of choice.

Notes

  • There are two ways to serve this sauce; one way is as directed above where the beef falls apart and becomes part of the sauce or you can choose to keep the beef whole and serve that seperatly as a second course. See the directions below.
  •  
  • Brown the whole piece of beef first on all sides then remove and set aside.
  • Add the onions, carrot and celery and saute for 10 minutes.
  • Add the beef back to the pot with herbs and cook covered for 3 hours turning the beef halfway through.
  • After 3 hours remove the beef and keep warm.
  • Add the wine to the onion and cook uncovered for 1 hour, serve with pasta.
  • Slice the beef and serve as a second course with your choice of sides and a little onion sauce on top.
  • Italian roasted potatoes, green beans or sauted greens would be perfect sides alongside the beef!
  • This sauce pretty much cooks itself after the initial prep work you just need to make sure you stir it every so often to make sure it's not sticking and keep it on a medium-low heat.
  • There's no need to add liquid at the first stage of cooking because the onions release a lot of water so don't be tempted to add any extra.
  • You can toss this sauce with any pasta you like so choose your favourite just make sure to toss the pasta and sauce together thoroughly before serving.
  • Leftover sauce will keep well for around 3-4 days in the fridge or can be frozen and thawed as needed.

Nutrition Information

Calories 226kcal (11%) Carbohydrates 12g (4%) Protein 23g (46%) Fat 7g (11%) Saturated Fat 2g (10%) Cholesterol 61mg (20%) Sodium 83mg (3%) Potassium 609mg (17%) Fiber 3g (12%) Sugar 6g (12%) Vitamin A 4015IU (80%) Vitamin C 16mg (18%) Calcium 60mg (6%) Iron 3mg (17%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 6- 8 servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 226

% Daily Value*

Calories 226kcal 11%
Carbohydrates 12g 4%
Protein 23g 46%
Fat 7g 11%
Saturated Fat 2g 10%
Cholesterol 61mg 20%
Sodium 83mg 3%
Potassium 609mg 13%
Fiber 3g 12%
Sugar 6g 12%
Vitamin A 4015IU 80%
Vitamin C 16mg 18%
Calcium 60mg 6%
Iron 3mg 17%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.