Why Pappardelle Makes A Perfect Pasta Partner For Pot Roast

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If you like a hearty pasta, then you're in the right place — or, maybe you're Tuscany. The heralded Italian culinary region is known for its rustic pastas, and at the center of these dishes is often pappardelle. Pappardelle is a broad, flat, ribbon-cut pasta. Unlike other ribbon pastas, such as fettuccine or linguine, pappardelle boasts the unique advantage of toothy broadness, which helps evenly distribute sauces for a top-tier mouthfeel. Its substantial width (two to three centimeters) makes pappardelle a prime candidate for clinging to hearty sauces — which is why the pasta shape is often served alongside rich, meaty bolognese and ragus. 

Forma Pasta in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, for instance, serves a knockout pappardelle bolognese with ground beef ragu, and here at Tasting Table, we also opt for the pasta shape to make our pappardelle al ragù recipe with ground veal and pork. But, for the ultimate pappardelle ragu, we recommend giving pot roast a try.

Leftover pot roast is the overlooked superstar for making a knockout ragu pasta. Using the pot roast from last night's dinner instead of ground beef makes a sustainable way to minimize food waste. Plus, pot roast's toothy texture and slow-cooked tenderness naturally bode well for ragu's preparation. Meanwhile, the shredded beef can cling to every broad pappardelle strand. Pot roast is also generally a budget-friendly cut, making pot roast ragu the perfect dish for impressive pasta nights on a dime, or feeding a crowd at a dinner party.

To make this dish, prepare your pot roast as you normally might using your go-to pot roast recipe, then boil the pappardelle in a stockpot of water to al dente. From there, simply shred your pot roast meat, and mix it back into the roast's ample braising liquid. The carrots, celery, onions, and garlic already in a classic pot roast mix comprise a flavorful pasta sauce. Then transfer the resulting ragu into a large pan with the boiled pappardelle and a splash of pasta water to form a starchy sauce, heat and stir, and you're good to go.

To further enhance the sauce, feel free to add in other accouterments like tomato paste, heavy cream, fresh parsley or oregano, baby spinach, or sauteed mushrooms. But for a simpler approach, the leftover cooking liquid from your pot roast will get the job done on its own. Pro tip: To help prevent those long ribbons of pasta from tearing under the weight of the pot roast ragu, opt for egg-based pappardelle, like this offering by Rustichella d'Abruzzo brand. The egg enrichment yields a stronger strand over flour alone.

To serve, garnish your plated pappardelle pot roast ragu with grated Parmesan and more fresh herbs. Garlic bread, a light green salad, and a glass of full-bodied red wine will seal the deal; opt for Syrah, with bright acidity and firm tannins that both hold up to and cut through the meal's richness.