Molise · Campobasso

Cavatelli al ragù molisano

Name: Cavatelli al ragù molisano
Prep time: 60 min
Cook time: 150 min
Total time: 210 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Italian (Molise)
Ingredients: 400 g durum wheat semolina (semola rimacinata); 200 ml warm water; 500 g pork ribs (spuntature) and pork sausage (in some villages, pork liver sausage); 700 ml tomato passata; 1 onion, chopped; 100 ml red wine; 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil; chilli (optional); pecorino or caciocavallo, grated (to serve)

Molise cavatelli with pork ragù

Hand-rolled semolina cavatelli in a slow tomato ragù of pork ribs and sausage, the Sunday pasta of Molise.

Documented traditionSources checked · October 2026

Course: Primo piattoPasta & rice
Serves: 4
Prep: 1 h
Cook: 2 h 30 min

La provenienza

Where this recipe comes from

Cavatelli — ‘cavatiell’ in dialect — are shaped by dragging small pieces of dough with two or three fingers, leaving a hollow that holds the sauce. Around Campobasso the dough is just durum semolina and water; elsewhere in Molise an egg is sometimes added.

The classic dressing is a ragù in which pork ribs and sausage cook slowly in tomato until the meat falls off the bone; it is served as a second course afterwards. Some villages use pork liver sausage and chilli instead. There is no official recipe.

Provenance: Documented traditionA regional tradition documented in cookbooks and local practice, with no single official text.
Defined by: Molisan tradition
Reference: Sunday family meal
Sources: Italia.it, Italy's official tourism portal — typical products and dishes of Molise (Italian)
Dissapore — Molisan cooking, 20 typical dishes (Italian)

Campobasso, Molise

Ingredienti

Ingredients

4 servings

For the cavatelli

400 g durum wheat semolina (semola rimacinata)
200 ml warm water

For the ragù

500 g pork ribs (spuntature) and pork sausage in some villages, pork liver sausage
700 ml tomato passata
1 onion, chopped
100 ml red wine
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
chilli optional
pecorino or caciocavallo, grated to serve

Preparazione

Method

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Errori comuni

Common mistakes

Rolling the dough too soft — the cavatelli lose their shape in the water.
Rushing the ragù: the ribs need the long, slow cooking.

Fuori dall'Italia

Cooking it outside Italy

Use fine semolina (semola rimacinata); coarse semolina makes a gritty dough.