Sugo di carne – Authentic Italian Meat Sauce

The dish that was always appreciated was my pasta with meat sauce, and before long, the friends started ordering the dish along with the playdate!

Recipe for Italian Meat Sauce
Sugo di carne is not just Sugo

If you ask 10 Italians how they make meat sauce, you will get 10 different answers. There are significant regional differences and long, proud family traditions. My recipe is entirely my own, which I have experimented with over my many years in Lucca. There are a couple of secret tricks from the Vipore restaurant in Lucca, just as my mother-in-law and my dear friend Lucia have contributed.

Pasta with meat sauce saves any family with children

This meat sauce takes time, so make it on a day when you are home and want to enjoy yourself in the kitchen. Buy in bulk and make a huge batch so you can freeze smaller portions. It can save a chaotic weekday evening.

Ingredients for Sugo di Carne - Meat Sauce

My recipe includes pork. This gives the dish more flavor, but if you or your guests don't eat pork, simply make it with pure beef.
My portion is made from supermarket package sizes (500 g) – 2 packages of beef and 1 package of pork per batch.

2 parts finely minced beef
1 part finely minced pork
2 cans of peeled tomatoes – best are MUTTI brand
2 finely chopped red onions
2 finely chopped carrots
A good splash of best quality olive oil
Some chopped rosemary and sage
Grated nutmeg, cinnamon, salt, and pepper

How to make Sugo di Carne - Meat Sauce

Get out your large pot and first fry the chopped vegetables and herbs in a good splash of oil over fairly high heat. Stir. They should be almost cooked through but must not brown. Pour the fried vegetables into a bowl.

Pour a little olive oil into the pot and fry the meat over fairly high heat while stirring. The meat should fry and not boil – perhaps do one package at a time. Precisely the frying and not boiling is important for the final taste.
When the meat is fried, pour the fried vegetables back into the pot, add the two cans of peeled tomatoes, and stir. Now fill the two cans with water and add that too. It will look quite unappetizing! Heat everything up.
Add 2 tsp. cinnamon (yes, that's right), a little grated nutmeg, a little salt, and pepper.
Reduce the heat and let it simmer for 3 hours. Stir occasionally. When everything has reduced well, you can season with extra salt, pepper, and olive oil.

Cook the pasta - Pasta al Dente

When cooking pasta, it's important to use plenty of water. In Italy, they say 1 liter of water for 200 g of pasta. This means that if you cook 1 kg of pasta, you need 5 liters of water – but less can also work. The water should be lightly salted. Only add the pasta to the pot when the water is boiling vigorously. Reduce the heat to prevent it from boiling over.

If you are cooking fresh pasta, it only needs to boil for a few minutes, and if you are using dried pasta, it should boil for 8-12 minutes. Always check the recommended cooking time on the package.

Pasta al Dente

You should rather undercook your pasta slightly than overcook it. Real Italian pasta should be al Dente, meaning it has a bite. Remember that pasta continues to cook after you have drained the water.

There should be no oil in the water, but there are two tricks I can give you for authentic Italian pasta.

1. Don't let the pasta drip dry. It should be wet when mixed. Optionally, save a little cooking water in a cup if the dish becomes too dry.
2. Add a good splash of olive oil to the pasta after it's cooked, stir, and now add the meat sauce.\

• and whatever you do, don't serve pasta and meat sauce separately. Then the pasta won't absorb any flavor.

Olives as a side dish for Sugo di carne

Serve with green olives, grated Parmesan cheese, and a good Italian red wine
– even if it's a weekday.

Enjoy.

Just like in Italy, there are also significant regional differences and, not least, family recipes passed down through generations here in Denmark.