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Rabbit ragu served with pappardelle pasta and garnished with fresh rosemary
Rich tomato-based rabbit ragu clinging to wide ribbons of pasta

Rustic Rabbit Ragu

Author: Flavelo
Recipes Main Courses
Rabbit Ragu is a thoroughly rustic Italian dish that evokes the noble traditions of 'cucina povera' (peasant cooking), where nothing goes to waste and time is the most important ingredient. Rabbit meat, naturally lean and fine-textured, absorbs the deep, earthy aromas of tomato, red wine, and herbs during slow cooking. The result is a thick, substantial sauce where the meat falls apart into strands and clings perfectly to wide pasta, such as pappardelle.
🕒 Prep Time 40 mins
🍳 Cook Time 2 hrs
⌛ Total Time 2 hrs 40 mins
🍽️ Servings 4 servings
🔥 Calories 520 kcal
🌍 Cuisine Italian

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

  • Large cast-iron casserole or deep frying pan
  • Chopping board and knife
  • Two forks (for shredding the meat)
  • Large pot (for cooking pasta)

Allergen Information

⚠️ Cereals containing gluten (pasta)
⚠️ Celery
⚠️ Sulphur dioxide (wine)

Instructions

1 ✓

Cut the rabbit into 3-4 larger pieces. Season thoroughly with salt and pepper.

Tip: No need to cut it small, as it will fall off the bone at the end anyway.
2 ✓

Heat the oil in the casserole and brown the meat on all sides until golden brown, then remove.

Tip: Searing (Maillard reaction) deepens the flavours, which counterbalances the acidity of the tomato sauce.
3 ✓

Add the finely chopped onion, carrot, and celery (sofrito) to the remaining fat. Sauté for 8-10 minutes until soft and fragrant, finally adding the crushed garlic.

Tip: This vegetable base provides the sweetness and body of the ragu.
4 ✓

Stir in the tomato purée and cook for 1-2 minutes until it starts to darken.

Tip: Frying the tomato purée caramelises the sugars in it and removes the 'tinned' taste.
5 ✓

Pour in the red wine and cook for 2-3 minutes until the alcohol smell evaporates.

Tip: The wine acids help dissolve the tasty bits stuck to the bottom of the pan.
6 ✓

Add the chopped tomatoes, stock, rosemary, and bay leaves. Return the meat to the pan. Cover and simmer on the lowest heat for 1.5-2 hours.

Tip: It is ready when the meat comes away from the bone by itself.
7 ✓

Remove the meat, strip it from the bone, and shred it into strands with a fork. Return the clean meat to the sauce and bring to the boil.

Tip: Check carefully to ensure no bone splinters remain.
8 ✓

Cook the pasta until al dente, drain (reserving some cooking water!), and toss with the ragu.

Tip: The starch-rich cooking water helps the sauce cling better to the pasta (emulsion).

Recipe FAQ

Why use meat on the bone?
Gelatin and flavours are released from the bones during cooking, which make the sauce fuller and thicker, something difficult to achieve with fillet alone.
What pasta goes with it?
Wide, flat pasta like pappardelle or tagliatelle is best, as the thick, meaty ragu clings well to their surface.

Ingredients

  • 1 kg rabbit, jointed (on the bone)
  • 2 whole carrots
  • 2 stalks celery
  • 1 head onion
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 50 g tomato purée
  • 400 g chopped tomatoes (tinned)
  • 200 ml dry red wine
  • 300 ml chicken or vegetable stock
  • 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
  • 2 whole bay leaves
  • 50 ml olive oil
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 400 g wide pasta ribbons (e.g. Pappardelle)