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ragù

ragù

1 4.2
A thick Italian meat sauce slow-cooked and served with pasta or polenta
  • noun
  • /ræˈɡu/
: ragú
  • We enjoyed homemade ragù made from freshly ground beef and herbs at the Italian restaurant.

Examples

  • The chef prepared a delicious ragù with tender meat and slow-cooked tomatoes to serve over pasta.

  • Here in Lucca, they make "quadrettoni" - large squares of homemade pasta about 2" square and they serve them with ragù.

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  • For dinner, she made a hearty ragù that simmered all afternoon, filling the kitchen with a rich aroma.

Synonyms

bolognese
vsragù
5 3.2

A meat and tomato sauce served with pasta, often with wide noodles

is thicker and more often slow cooked and also served with polenta
2.1

A rich Italian topping for pasta made with ground beef, tomatoes, and vegetables

is usually thicker slow cooked and also served with polenta

How Rich

ragù
1 4.2
stew
107 1.0
tomato sauce
25 1.0
stock
43 1.4
broth
66 1.0

Surface Forms

ragù singular
ragus plural

Etymology

Ragù comes from the French word ragoût, which is like a 'stew' and comes from a French verb made of re- + gouter meaning 'to taste again' or 'to revive the taste'. So a ragù is a rich, slow-cooked sauce meant to 'wake up' and deepen the taste of pasta.