Pappardelle alla Lepre

Pappardelle alla Lepre is a traditional Italian pasta dish that originates from the central regions, particularly Tuscany and Umbria, where hare hunting has long been a culinary cornerstone. The dish pairs broad, ribbon-like pappardelle noodles with a slow-cooked ragù made from hare (lepre). Key ingredients include the hare meat itself, often braised with a classic soffritto of onion, carrot, and celery, then simmered with red wine, tomatoes (or tomato concentrate), rosemary, sage, juniper berries, and sometimes a touch of dark chocolate or pine nuts for depth. The sauce is characterized by its deep, gamey flavor, which benefits from the hare being marinated overnight in wine and aromatics to tenderize the meat and reduce any strong gaminess.

A great version of Pappardelle alla Lepre is distinguished by a perfectly balanced ragù: the meat should be falling-apart tender, the sauce thick and intensely savory yet not overly heavy, and the pappardelle cooked al dente to catch every bit of the ragù. The dish should taste of the forest—earthy, herbal, and subtly sweet from the long cooking. Regional variations exist: in some parts of Tuscany, the hare is deboned and the meat is shredded, while in Umbria the sauce may be left slightly chunkier. Some cooks omit tomatoes, relying solely on wine and stock for a more rustic, lighter sauce. In Taizzano, Italia, Trattoria Tiberina is known for its rendition of Pappardelle alla Lepre, as noted by the contributor JustUs; the venue’s approach reportedly honors the traditional slow-cooking method, serving the pasta with a generous, deeply flavorful hare ragù that showcases the local culinary heritage.