ZITI SPEZZATI ALLA GENOVESE (Ziti with Slow-Cooked Beef and Onion Sauce)

Ziti spezzati alla genovese, is one of the great classics of Neapolitan cuisine.

The centuries-old history of this dish dates back to the 14th century, when the making of the dish is recounted in one of the earliest Neapolitan cookery manuscripts but in Latin: the “liber de coquina,” where there is a recipe entitled “de tria ianuensis,” later translated into “la tria genovese.”

The term tria apparently meant pasta at the time (perhaps a particular noodle made by hand with water salt and durum wheat, still present in Salento in another great dish of southern tradition: ciceri e tria).

The recipe “de tria ianuensis” tells precisely of a sauce made with onions and meat.

What I am describing today, on the other hand, is the recipe for ziti spezzati alla genovese, which I have revisited in a gourmet key, starting from what was described by Ippolito Cavalcanti duke of Buonvicino in his 1837 treatise on Neapolitan cuisine.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Deep Flavors: The onions cook down into a creamy, sweet, and savory sauce that pairs beautifully with the beef.
• Comfort Food: A warm, hearty dish that’s perfect for slow Sundays or special occasions.
• Traditional Elegance: A gourmet interpretation of a time-honored recipe dating back to the 14th century.

Cooking Time

• Preparation Time: 30 minutes
• Cooking Time: 4–5 hours
• Total Time: 5–6 hours
• Servings: 6

Ingredients

For the Sauce

• 3.3 lbs (1.5 kg) brown onions, thinly sliced
• 1 celery stalk, diced
• 2 carrots, diced
• 2.6 lbs (1.2 kg) beef (preferably scottona), cut into large pieces
• ¼ cup (1.7 fl oz) extra virgin olive oil
• 1 glass (¾ cup) dry white wine
• 1 glass (¾ cup) tomato puree
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

For the Pasta

• 1.1 lbs (500 g) bronze-cut ziti, broken into 3-finger lengths
• Salt, for boiling water

For Serving

• Grated Pecorino cheese, to taste
• Fresh basil leaves, for garnish

Step-by-Step Method

Step 1: Prepare the Vegetables

1. Dice the carrots and celery finely. Thinly slice the onions.

Step 2: Prepare the Meat

2. Cut the beef into large, evenly sized pieces.

Step 3: Sauté the Vegetables and Meat

3. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.
4. Add the diced carrots and celery. Sauté until golden.
5. Add the beef pieces and sear them on all sides over low heat to lock in their juices.

Step 4: Build the Sauce

6. Deglaze the pot with white wine, allowing it to evaporate.
7. Add the sliced onions and tomato puree, adjusting the amount of puree based on your preferred sauce color.

Step 5: Slow Cooking “Chian Chian”

8. Reduce the heat to very low and let the mixture cook gently for 4–5 hours. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking and add water if the sauce starts to dry out.
9. Cook until the onions break down into a creamy sauce and the beef becomes fork-tender. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

Step 6: Cook the Pasta

10. While the sauce finishes, boil the broken ziti in a large pot of salted water until al dente.

Step 7: Combine and Serve

11. Drain the pasta and toss it with the onion sauce. Optionally, serve the beef alongside the pasta as a second course.
12. Sprinkle generously with Pecorino cheese and garnish with fresh basil leaves.

Tips for Success

• Low and Slow: Take your time with the onion sauce—it’s worth every minute of the slow cooking process.
• Bronze-Cut Pasta: This type of ziti holds the sauce better due to its slightly rough surface.
• Layered Serving: Serve the beef separately for a true Neapolitan experience, or shred it into the sauce for a unified dish.

Nutritional Information (Per Serving)

Buon Appetito!
Enjoy the rich, comforting flavors of Ziti Spezzati alla Genovese, a dish steeped in history and perfected in your kitchen. Perfect for sharing and savoring with family and friends.

Ziti Spezzati Alla Genovese Recipe

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Servings 6

Ingredients

  

• 3.3 lbs of brown onions
• 1 celery stalk
• 2 carrots
• 2.6 lbs of beef preferably scottona: is a young bovine female aged no more than 15-16 months and it has never been pregnant
• 1/4 cup 1.7 fl oz of extra virgin olive oil
• 1 glass 3/4 cup of white wine
• 1 glass 3/4 cup of tomato puree
• 1.1 lbs of broken bronze ziti
• salt and pepper to taste
• grated pecorino cheese according to taste

Instructions

 

• Step 1
• Thinly dice the carrots and celery, while the onion should be thinly sliced.
• Step 2
• Cut the selected beef into large pieces.
• Step 3
• After doing these things, put the extra virgin olive oil in the chosen pot (it must be large) and when it becomes hot, add the diced carrots and celery. Once the diced vegetables are golden, add the beef and seal it over low heat.
• Step 4
• As soon as the meat is sealed, deglaze everything with the white wine, then add the onions and immediately after, the tomato puree (in the chosen amount depending on the color you want to give to the “genovese”).
• Step 5
• Start the slow cooking process at this point. Ippolito Cavalcanti uses the expression “Chian Chian” for this method, for a variable time between 4 and 5 hours at least, until the onion becomes almost a creamy puree and the meat is tender (you can feel it with a fork). Only at this point adjust everything with salt and freshly ground pepper.
• Step 6
• While the “genovese” completes its cooking (be very careful that it does not stick to the bottom and does not dry out, in which case you need to add a little water), break the ziti to the size of three fingers horizontally and cook them in slightly salted boiling water (in the end, the pecorino cheese adjusts the saltiness).
• Step 7
• Once the pasta is drained, toss it with the sauce (many people like to serve the “genovese” as a single dish together with the meat) and a generous handful of pecorino cheese.
• Step 8
• Bring to the table, garnishing the dish with a few fresh basil leaves.