Garganelli Giganti Recipe
Broken Meatball Ragu, Guanciale, Pecorino
Was this page helpful?
Help improve this recipe for others.
Send this recipe to your inbox.
We'll email it straight to you - plus weekly cooking inspiration.
Ingredients
Some product links may be affiliates. If you buy through them, you're supporting the site and Pekin may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Garganelli and finishing
Broken meatball ragu
Guanciale crisp
Method
Guanciale crisp
- 1
Render and crisp guanciale
Thinly slice the guanciale into 1/8–1/4-inch strips. Place in a cold skillet and set over medium-low heat. Allow the fat to render slowly, stirring occasionally, until the pieces are golden and crisp, 8–12 minutes. Sprinkle with the black pepper in the last minute. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the crisp guanciale to a paper-towel-lined plate, leaving the rendered fat in the skillet for later use.
Broken meatball ragu
- 2
Make the meatball mixture
In a medium bowl combine ground beef and pork, 2 tablespoons Pecorino, the egg, breadcrumbs, milk, 1 tsp salt, and 1 tsp pepper. Mix gently with your hands until just combined; avoid overworking. Form the mixture into small meatballs about 1 inch in diameter (you should get ~24–28).
- 3
Brown meatballs
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed skillet or sauté pan over medium-high heat. Brown the meatballs in batches so they do not crowd the pan, turning to color on all sides, about 2–3 minutes per side. They will not be fully cooked. Transfer browned meatballs to a plate.
- 4
Sweat aromatics
Discard excess fat from the skillet leaving ~1 tablespoon. Add the minced shallot, carrot, and celery; cook over medium heat until softened and translucent, about 4–5 minutes. Add the crushed garlic and cook 30 seconds more until fragrant.
- 5
Deglaze and build sauce
Stir in the tomato paste and cook 1 minute. Pour in the white wine to deglaze, scraping browned bits from the pan; let the wine reduce by half, about 2–3 minutes. Add the diced tomatoes with their juices, chicken stock, dried oregano, bay leaf, and sugar (if using). Return the browned meatballs and any accumulated juices to the pan, nestling them into the sauce.
- 6
Simmer the ragu
Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer, then reduce heat to low so the sauce barely bubbles. Simmer, partially covered, for 25–30 minutes until the meatballs are cooked through and the sauce has thickened. During simmering occasionally break a few meatballs with the back of a spoon to create the characteristic 'broken meatball' texture; continue breaking more as they soften until you have a mix of intact small meatballs and shredded pieces throughout the sauce.
- 7
Finish the ragu
Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Remove and discard the bay leaf. If the sauce seems too thin, simmer uncovered for another 5–10 minutes to concentrate flavors.
Garganelli and finishing
- 8
Cook the pasta
Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a rolling boil. Add the garganelli and cook until al dente according to package or about 8–10 minutes for fresh. Reserve 1 cup of pasta cooking water before draining. Do not rinse.
- 9
Combine pasta with ragu
While the pasta cooks, rewarm the skillet with the ragu over low–medium heat. Add the reserved guanciale fat (if you like more flavor) and the browned guanciale crisps (reserve a small handful for garnish). Add the drained pasta directly to the sauce with 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water. Toss gently and let the pasta finish cooking in the sauce for 1–2 minutes so it absorbs flavor; add more pasta water a little at a time if the sauce is too tight.
- 10
Emulsify and plate
Turn off the heat and stir in the butter, 2 tablespoons Pecorino, and 2 tablespoons olive oil to create a glossy emulsion that coats the pasta. If needed, add up to the remaining reserved pasta water to loosen. Taste and adjust seasoning. Divide among 4 plates, sprinkle remaining Pecorino over each portion, top with reserved crispy guanciale, a crack of black pepper, and the optional chopped parsley.
