Name: Cavatelli al ragù molisano
Prep time: 1 h 10 min
Cook time: 2 h 25 min
Total time: 4 h 5 min
Cuisine: Italian, Molise
Ingredients: 35 ml extra-virgin olive oil; 900 g meaty pork ribs, cut into individual ribs; 120 g onion, finely diced; 70 g carrot, finely diced; 60 g celery, finely diced; 120 ml dry red wine; 800 g passata or crushed tomatoes; 250 ml water or light stock; 1 bay leaf; 8 g fine sea salt, adjust to taste; 1/2 tsp black pepper; 450 g fine durum-wheat semolina flour; 220 ml warm water, approximately; add gradually; 4 g fine sea salt; 50 g aged pecorino, finely grated, optional

Cavatelli al ragù molisano: wide hero view of the finished traditional dish

Prep1 h 10 min

Cook2 h 25 min

Total4 h 5 min

Yield6 servings

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The dish

About Cavatelli al ragù molisano

Italia.it identifies cavatelli as one of Molise’s most famous fresh pastas and specifically describes a local form made from durum wheat flour and water without eggs.

The same regional source notes that cavatelli are commonly eaten with a meat sauce based on pork ribs or with local greens.

The hollow is functional as well as visual: pressing and dragging each short dough piece creates a rough interior that holds dense tomato ragù.

Slow simmering tenderizes the rib meat and integrates its gelatin and fat into the sauce before the meat is removed from the bones and returned.

Technique

Three things that matter

Use firm semolina dough. Too-soft dough sticks to the board and loses the open cavatello hollow.
Shape consistently. Similar pieces cook at the same rate and carry sauce evenly.
Cook ribs until genuinely tender. The ragù is ready when the meat separates easily from bone, not merely when the tomato has reduced.

Cook the dish

Ingredients

Everything needed to prepare the dish, arranged for fast scanning before cooking.

Pork-rib ragù

35 mlextra-virgin olive oil
900 gmeaty pork ribscut into individual ribs
120 gonionfinely diced
70 gcarrotfinely diced
60 gceleryfinely diced
120 mldry red wine
800 gpassata or crushed tomatoes
250 mlwater or light stock
1bay leaf
8 gfine sea saltadjust to taste
1/2 tspblack pepper

Cavatelli

450 gfine durum-wheat semolina flour
220 mlwarm waterapproximately; add gradually
4 gfine sea salt

Finish

50 gaged pecorinofinely grated, optional

Step by step

Method

Start the ragù

Brown the ribs. Heat olive oil and brown pork ribs in batches until several sides are deeply coloured; remove temporarily.
A dark savoury fond should form without blackening.
Cook the soffritto. Lower heat and cook onion, carrot and celery 8–10 minutes in the same pot.
Vegetables should soften and lift the browned fond.
Deglaze and add tomato. Return ribs, add wine and reduce almost dry, then add tomatoes, water, bay, salt and pepper.
The sauce should return to a gentle simmer with ribs mostly submerged.

Simmer and make cavatelli

Cook the ragù slowly. Cover partly and simmer 90–110 minutes until the rib meat is tender.
Meat should pull from bone with light fork pressure.
Mix the pasta dough. Combine semolina and salt; add warm water gradually and knead 8–10 minutes into a firm smooth dough. Rest covered 30 minutes.
The dough should be pliable but noticeably firmer than egg pasta.
Shape the cavatelli. Roll ropes about 1 cm thick, cut short pieces and press-drag each with two fingers or a blunt knife to create a hollow curl.
Each piece should hold an open groove and a roughened surface.

Finish together

Finish the ragù. Remove ribs, discard bones and excess fat, shred or chop the meat and return it to the reduced tomato sauce.
The sauce should be thick enough to mound on a spoon.
Boil the pasta. Cook cavatelli in well-salted boiling water until they float and the centre is tender, generally 4–6 minutes depending on size.
A cut piece should show no raw flour core.
Dress and serve. Transfer cavatelli directly into the ragù with a splash of pasta water and toss 1 minute; finish with pecorino if desired.
Sauce should sit inside the hollows and cling to the outer ridges.

Practical guidance

Make-ahead

Ragù can be made a day ahead; remove solidified excess fat after chilling and reheat gently.

Freezing pasta

Freeze shaped raw cavatelli in one layer, then bag; boil from frozen without thawing.

Regional variation

Molise has multiple meat-sauce traditions; pork ribs provide a documented regional pairing rather than claiming one single universal ragù formula.

Troubleshooting

Cavatelli close up. The dough is too soft or pieces are pressed too flat; use less water and a shorter drag.
Ribs stay tough. The ragù needs more time at a gentle simmer, not higher heat.
Sauce is watery. Finish uncovered after removing the bones until it coats the spoon.

Nutrition per serving

Serving size: 1 pasta course
Calories: approximately 720 kcal
Carbohydrates: 79 g
Protein: 35 g
Fat: 28 g
Fibre: 6 g
Sodium: 680 mg

Estimate depends on rib fat and the amount of pecorino used.

Allergens and food safety

Contains gluten; cheese adds milk.

Pork should be cooked until fully tender and any leftovers cooled promptly.

Reheat meat sauce to 74°C.

FAQ

Do traditional Molise cavatelli contain eggs?

A documented Molise version uses only durum-wheat flour and water, producing a firm rustic pasta.

What forms the hollow?

A short piece of dough is pressed and dragged against the board with fingers or a blunt tool.

Can another meat be used in the ragù?

Regional ragùs vary, but pork-rib sauce is specifically documented as a typical cavatelli pairing in Molise.

Final note

What matters most

Result: Chewy hand-shaped cavatelli whose hollows capture a glossy tomato ragù enriched with tender pork-rib meat.
Key: Keep the semolina dough firm, shape open hollows and simmer the ribs until the meat truly releases from bone.