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Meat, South and mountains

Corsican stufatu with macaroni

Stufatu is a Corsican beef stew simmered in tomato and red wine, served with macaroni. For 4 people, it takes 3 hours, mostly hands off cooking time, rated easy, at a cost of €4 per person. The key to success is a long, covered simmer that lets the chuck beef fall apart on its own.

Stufatu is the Corsican beef stew simmered in tomato and red wine, served with macaroni soaked in the sauce.

Corsican stufatu with macaroni
Total time
3 h
Difficulty
Easy
Cost per person
€4.00
Calories per person
790 kcalcalculated by Kiloach, your weight coach
Season
Winter, Fall
The kids
They generally like it

Stufatu is the dish that warms up winter Sundays in Corsica. The chuck beef simmers so long in tomato and red wine that it ends up falling apart with a fork, and the bacon lardons add a smoky edge that seasons the whole sauce. The macaroni isn't just a side, it soaks up the sauce and ends up almost as flavorful as the meat.

This is a recipe for days when you have time to let it simmer without watching over it, a Sunday or a day when you're home. Kids usually love pasta well coated in sauce and meat that falls apart easily, with no tough bites to chew through. It's also a dish that reheats well, so the sauce only gets better the next day.

The ingredients

4 people

Butcher

  • Beef chuck 900 g
  • Bacon lardons 100 g

Fruits and vegetables

  • Onions 2
  • Garlic 3 cloves

Pantry

  • Crushed tomatoesoften in the pantry 400 g
  • Red wineoften in the pantry 25 cl
  • Macaronioften in the pantry 350 g
  • Olive oiloften in the pantry 2 tbsp
  • Saltoften in the pantry 1 pinch
  • Pepperoften in the pantry 1 pinch

Dairy

  • Grated Parmesan 40 g

Allergens Gluten

The step by step recipe

  1. Cut the beef into large cubes and brown it with the lardons in a Dutch oven. 12 min

    Brown the meat in small batches, otherwise it will boil instead of sear.

  2. Add the onions and garlic, then deglaze with the red wine. 6 min

    Let the wine reduce by half before moving on.

  3. Pour in the tomatoes, season with salt and pepper, cover and let it simmer over low heat. 2 h 30

    Add hot water if the sauce reduces too much.

  4. Cook the macaroni in salted water. 10 min

    Cook the macaroni a bit firm, it will finish cooking in the sauce.

  5. Mix the pasta into the sauce and serve with the Parmesan.

    Let the pasta sit a minute in the sauce so it soaks it up.

Our tips to get it right

  • Pick a chuck roast with good marbling rather than a very lean one, the fat melts during cooking and makes the sauce richer.
  • Keep the lid mostly on during the 2.5 hour simmer so the meat cooks in its own steam without the sauce thickening too fast.
  • Taste the sauce before mixing in the pasta, that's your last chance to adjust the salt, it's harder to fix once the macaroni is in.

The variations

  • Swap the chuck for beef shank or cheek, both cuts fall apart just as well with long cooking.
  • For a vegetarian version, replace the beef and lardons with button mushrooms and rehydrated dried porcini, and shorten the simmer time a bit.
  • To save time, use a pressure cooker, the meat turns tender in about 45 minutes instead of 2.5 hours.

What to serve it with

  • A glass of Corsican red wine
  • A sharply dressed green salad
  • Bread for mopping up the sauce

Storage

Stufatu keeps for 3 days in the fridge in a sealed container, with the pasta mixed in or kept separate. It freezes well for up to 2 months, ideally without the pasta since it holds up less well after thawing. Reheat gently in a pot, adding a splash of water if the sauce has thickened.

Questions about this dish

Can you make stufatu a day ahead?

Yes, and it's actually a good idea, the sauce tastes better after resting overnight. Reheat it gently the next day and cook the macaroni fresh so it stays firm.

What beef cut works if you don't have chuck?

Beef shank or cheek both work just as well, they're cuts that benefit from long cooking. Avoid already tender cuts like filet, they would dry out after 2.5 hours of simmering.

Can you freeze stufatu with the pasta already mixed in?

It's better to freeze the sauce and meat on their own, the macaroni gets too soft after thawing. Cook fresh pasta when you're ready to serve and mix it with the reheated sauce.

Why does the sauce need to simmer so long?

That's how long it takes for the collagen in the chuck to break down and make the meat tender. A shorter cooking time would leave the meat tough, even if the sauce already tastes good.

How long does it take to make a Corsican stufatu with macaroni?

Count 3 h in total, prep and cooking included. The recipe is rated “easy”.

How many calories are in a Corsican stufatu with macaroni?

About 790 kcal per serving, for a recipe meant for 4 people. Calories are calculated by Kiloach, your weight coach, the app that partners with Mon Chou.

How much does a Corsican stufatu with macaroni cost?

About €4.00 per serving, or €16.00 for 4 people, based on average supermarket prices.

What allergens does this recipe contain?

This recipe contains gluten. Always check the labels of the products you buy.

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