#2 Pasta alla Bolognese
Origin: Bologna
Pasta alla Bolognese is the classic recipe that incorporates slow cooked meat and sauteed aromatics in a tomato-based sauce.
@Scoresman and others will probably object to me lumping a traditional ragu of pork, beef or lamb with the tomato-heavy meat sauce that’s an American standard. I understand that argument because a true Bolognese is a wonderful thing that combines the richness of the meat, the fragrant notes of the soffritto and the acidity of the tomatoes in perfect harmony. But I’ve made similarly sweeping generalizations with other lower ranked noodles and it’s hard to be outraged when it’s still highly ranked.
You might think the typical Ital-American red sauce is the big beneficiary of combining it with a Bolognese but it’s deserving in its own right. There are differences from Bolognese in the consistency of the meat, the blend of herbal seasonings and the ratio of tomatoes to meat, but spaghetti in red sauce is wonderful comfort food that we’ve all enjoyed hundreds of times.