Ragu gnocchi with beef and mushrooms (Italian pasta)
These gnocchi al ragu are served with a delicious beef ragu sauce, cooked until tender along with porcini mushrooms and tomatoes sauce. A classic Italian meal, perfect to warm you up on those colds nights or when you want make the holidays more special.
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 568kcal
Equipment
- 1 Medium Bowl to soak the porcini
- 1 Chopping board and Vegetable Knife to cut the porcini
- 1 Food processor to finely shredded the veggies
- 1 Medium saucepan to cook the ragu
- 1 Wooden spoon to stir and scrap
Ingredients
- 40 gr dried porcini 1.4 oz
- 1 medium carrot
- 1 celery stalk
- 1 medium onion
- 2 tablespoon olive oil extra virgin
- 1 small spring of rosemary
- 350 gr ground beef with 20 % of fat 12 oz
- 100 ml red wine as Sangiovese ½ cup
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste
- 400 ml tomato puree passata 14 oz
- 200 ml porcini water 7.06 oz
- 410 ml room temperature water or beef broth or veggies one (keep it warm) 14 oz
- 600 gr gnocchi 21 oz
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Before to start, wash the dried porcini under the tab water very quickly to remove any dirt. Soak the dried porcini in warm water (200 ml) for 15 minutes in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- Cut the carrot, celery and onion into chunks. Add them in a food processor and blitz the vegetables until are finely shredded.
- Add the olive oil along with the vegetables, and the rosemary in a sauce pan. Turn the heat on medium heat. Fry the soffritto for 6 minutes, or until they become pale. Mix and scrub the bottom of the pan with a wooden spatula. You might see that the bottom of the pan is getting brownish, don't worry. We will deglaze it later with the wine.
- Add the ground beef to the pan. Mix everything together and with a wooden spatula break down the meant by pushing down. The meat will start to realise the water, keep stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan. Gently squeeze the porcini to remove the extra water, and cut them into chunks. Set them aside.
- Toss in the porcini and mix. After a quick mix pour the wine. Stir and scrape the bottom of the pan again. Once the alcohol is evaporated, add the tomato paste and give a good mix.
- After a minute, add the porcini water and mix again. Once the water is evaporated add the passata and 50 ml of water, stir again. Reduce the heat to low. Cover the pot with a lid and stir every now and then. After 20 minutes add the remaining. Let the sauce simmer for 1 hour and 30 minutes. The ragu is ready when the sauce is thicker, little bubbles peek out, the colour of the ragu is a bit darker and you see shiny little pool of oil on top.
- Once the ragu is ready taste to adjust salt and black pepper, if needed it. Cook the gnocchi in plenty salted boiling water. Follow the packet instructions for the cooking time. Drain the gnocchi once they are done, and reserve some pasta water. Add the gnocchi to the sauce along with few tablespoons of pasta water. Mix well, then add some grated Parmigiano Reggiano. Toss again and served with some more grated Parmigiano Reggiano.
Notes
Leftover
Got leftovers? No worry, you can turn the gnocchi al ragu into:- Baked gnocchi - Mix the gnocchi with the beef ragu, add some mozzarella cheese, some grated Parmigiano Reggiano on top and bake it. For a crispy finish pop it under the broiler for a minute.
- Others idea - Use extra ragu for making a lasagna, or freeze it into small portions for future meal.
Store
- Fridge - Place them in an airtight container for about three days. For the best experience, reheat the gnocchi before serving in a frying pan with a splash of water.
- Freezer - Once it has completely cooled, transfer the leftovers into small airtight containers and place them in the freezer. I like to divide the leftovers into smaller portions for easy, ready-to-eat servings. They will stay fresh for up to one month. When needed, defrost them in the fridge for 12 hours before reheating, then follow the instructions above.
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