A comprehensive recipe for Friggione – Bologna’s upgraded tomato sauce

Dear Diary,

We were the first to sit down at an authentic Bolognese restaurant in the early evening, just after they had returned from their long summer break. Over the years, I’ve learned that this is actually a good sign, it usually means the place is truly authentic, the kind that stays closed in the summer despite the flood of tourists during that season. It was our first evening in Bologna, and I was eager to try the city’s unique flavors. Excitedly, I asked about the Passatelli and the famous Pinza cake, but neither was available since they were still getting reorganized after the break. "For the Passatelli we make, we need our high-quality house bread, and we haven’t baked any yet", the waitress explained. I couldn’t hide my disappointment, but I knew I’d have another chance to try these dishes later on during the trip.

The Friggione dish, photographed right after Dad had already dug In

Meanwhile, I was happy to order Bologna’s famous tortellini, which I had previously eaten during my explorations in Modena. My dad preferred to avoid a meaty dish, so I recommended he go for tagliatelle with Friggione. My familiarity with the dish was limited, so I asked the friendly waitress, "It’s just a tomato sauce, right?" She dismissed my question and replied, "It’s not just tomatoes, it’s more than that." My wording may not have been the best, but my intent was to check if the dish contained meat (since some versions do).

Friggione is essentially a tomato-and-onion-based dish, but the onions are well-caramelized, and the tomato sauce is slow-cooked with them for a long time, creating a rich sauce that gives a unique depth to the classic tomato sauce. This version had no meat. Dad enjoyed it, and of course, I couldn’t resist stealing a bite. I was surprised by the flavor of the caramelized onions and the satisfying combination with the tomatoes. From that moment on, I could never go back to regular tomato sauce, though, of course, it still deserves its own respect.

We ended up returning to this restaurant again, by accident. How by accident? Well, to this day, I don’t know, but I tell myself that one day we arrived in the evening, and on another day we came at lunchtime. Everything looked different at night in this unfamiliar city, and everything seemed different again during the day. To Dad’s credit, he suspected it from the start, his sense of direction always impresses me but I didn’t see it coming. We burst into laughter when we saw the same waitress, who asked if everything was okay. I reassured her, saying that everything was great and that we were happy to be back again.

The principles of Friggione

Patience, caramelized and golden onions

The onions must be caramelized gently and patiently, a process that can take around two hours to achieve a golden hue and a sweet flavor. However, they shouldn’t be browned too much; this isn’t meant to be an onion jam, and its color shouldn’t be too dark (at least not according to the traditional recipes I’ve seen or the dish I ate).

Sauce from fresh Summer tomatoes or canned in winter

I’ll let you in on a secret: I’ve never used canned tomatoes. My mother always insists on making her famous tomato sauce from scratch, peeling fresh tomatoes by hand. She prepares a large batch and freezes it. However, in winter, good tomatoes are hard to come by. I always get tempted to buy some because they look so beautiful, but in the end, their sourness and texture disappoint me.

After all, tomatoes are a summer fruit that needs the warmth of the sun, and we should probably let nature dictate our diet. That’s why Italians prepare their sauce in the summer and preserve it for the winter. Those who don’t do this use high-quality canned tomatoes. If you’re making this dish in the winter, it’s probably best to use canned tomatoes (sorry, Mom). Look for ones labeled "Passata."

Onions and tomatoes—start separately

For those of you making Friggione with fresh tomatoes, I found that it’s better to first prepare the tomato sauce and only then combine it with the caramelized onions. In my experience, when I cooked the tomatoes together with the onions, the flavors didn’t fully meld, and the Friggione turned out less uniform.

That said, in the official recipe from the Italian Academy of Traditional Cuisine, they add the chopped tomatoes directly to the onions and cook them together. There are different recipes and techniques, I always recommend experimenting with different methods until you find what works best for you!

Pairing the Sauce

Friggione is traditionally paired with tagliatelle, the slightly wider noodles that are a staple in Emilia-Romagna. The sauce has body due to the large amount of onions, so it needs a pasta that can hold up to it well.

You can also enjoy friggione as a spread on toasted bread—it’s honestly fantastic just like that.

Recipe 

Ingredients (makes one pasta serving or two servings as a bread topping)

• Five fresh summer tomatoes or one can of high-quality passata (seedless and skinless tomato puree)

• Three large white onions

• A small cube of butter

• Olive oil

• Salt

As with many homemade dishes, I didn’t weigh the ingredients precisely, there’s room to adjust the quantities. It’s all about personal taste and making adjustments as you go. One more tomato, one less, it’s up to you.

Preparation

For those making the sauce from scratch:

1. Peel the tomatoes and remove the seeds, then chop them into cubes.

2. Heat a little olive oil in a pot or pan with a lid, then add the chopped tomatoes.

3. Season with a pinch of salt to help the tomatoes release their juices.

4. Cover and cook over very low heat for about an hour.

5. If the tomatoes release too much liquid, continue cooking uncovered to reduce the sauce slightly.

6. Summer tomatoes should be naturally sweet, but if they’re a bit sour, add a pinch of sugar. If they’re too sour, it might not be worth the effort, canned sauce like Passata, is the better option in that case.

Caramelizing the Onions:

• Peel the onions (including the first layer) and slice them into medium-width strips. They shrink a lot during cooking, but you still want them to have some presence in the Friggione.

• Heat a small cube of butter and a bit of olive oil in a pot over low heat.

• Once the butter melts, add the onions and season with a pinch of salt to help them release their juices.

• Add a splash of water (about a tablespoon) and cover the pot with a lid.

• Cook on the lowest possible heat for about two hours, stirring occasionally. If there’s too much liquid, leave the lid slightly open to let it evaporate. If it dries out too much, add a bit more water, you don’t want to fry the onions.

A note on caramelization techniques: Some traditional recipes suggest salting and sugaring the onions, then letting them sit in a strainer for about two hours before cooking. Personally, I found that skipping this step still yielded excellent results, reminiscent of my experience in Bologna.

Final Steps:

1. Once both the onions and tomato sauce are ready, combine them in the pot.

2. Stir well and cook together for about another hour.

3. Taste and adjust the salt if needed.

Pairings

• Tagliatelle pasta

• On fresh bread or toasted bread (I really love eating Friggione on toasted bread onto which I grate a small clove of garlic, delightful!)

• Some also add a touch of red wine vinegar.

Storage

Friggione keeps well in the fridge for about three days. I also froze it once, and honestly, it was perfectly fine.

Buon appetito!

Royi