Home » Recipes » Pasta » The Best Authentic Ragù alla Bolognese (Bolognese Ragù Sauce)
closeup of ragù alla bolognese sauce in a aubergine colored Le Creuset Dutch oven on a bright orange and white checked table cloth

The Best Authentic Ragù alla Bolognese (Bolognese Ragù Sauce)

Written by Published on in Condiments + Sauces + Dips, Fall Recipes, Italian, Pasta, Recipes, Winter Recipes
Jump to Recipe

This restaurant-quality Italian Bolognese ragù recipe is really as good as pasta gets. It’s the stuff of tagliatelle dreams and gnocchi naps. This Ragù is based on the official Italian Academy of Cuisine’s original recipe and it couldn’t be easier to make. A rich slow-simmered beefy, porky, tomato sauce with added flavor from the addition of red wine, and milk — this is one of the best Italian pasta sauces ever. And it makes a fantastic lasagna alla bolognese. Double, triple, or quadruple this sauce to freeze or toss it with tagliatelle, pappardelle, maccheroni, or gnocchi. If you’re looking for a Bolognese sauce that uses white wine instead of red check out this post over here.

What is Ragù alla Bolognese (Bolognese Sauce)?

Ragù alla Bolognese or “Bolognese sauce” is a delicious hours-long slow-simmered Italian pasta ragù that comes from Bologna, Italy, and the surrounding area. It’s made of ground beef, pancetta, onions, carrots, celery, garlic, milk, beef stock, tomatoes, and wine, and just about any egg-rich pasta pairs really well with it (see below). 


 

What Makes Bolognese a Ragù and Not Simply a Sauce?

The short answer is time. In Italy “ragù” is a general term or umbrella category used to designate any meat sauce cooked over low heat for many hours. Each ragù varies from region to region and uses various local ingredients. For instance, this recipe “ragù alla Bolognese” means ragù from Bologna (or ragù made in the Bologna style). On the other hand, a sauce or “sugo” can be completed in 30 minutes or less.

  • In order to be classified as an authentic Bolognese, it must contain tomatoes.
  • In Italy, Bolognese ragù will only be served with egg lasagna noodles in lasagna Bolognese, or with tagliatelle, tortellini, gnocchi, and maccheroni(which isn’t like the macaroni we Americans grew up with even though we have that here kind too). These pasta shapes are paired with this ragù because they’re better equipped to hold chunky sauces. 
  • Spaghetti alla Bolognese doesn’t exist in Italy because the pasta is too small to hold up well to the chunky richness of a true Bolognese. Also, spaghetti is not made using eggs which is considered a must when serving Bolognese pasta of any kind. But when you make pasta at home you get to make it exactly how you want it — even with spaghetti if you want♡. 

Why We Love This Lasagna alla Bolognese Recipe

  • Ragù alla Bolognese is one of the easiest Italian pasta sauces you can make
  • Slow-simmered ragù marries all of the delicious flavors together 
  • Pancetta and beef make this ragù extra tasty
  • Wine brings out the flavor of the tomato and overall finished ragù
  • Milk adds richness and gives the ragù a melt-in-your-mouth feel without being heavy
  • The actual hands-on time for this Bolognese recipe is about 20 to 30 minutes
  • A great MealPrep and make-ahead pasta sauce that freezes perfectly

 

Where was Bolognese Invented (Where is Ragù Bolognese from)? 

The birthplace of the original recipe for Ragù alla Bolognese can be traced back to the end of the 1700s.  The chef of the Cardinal of Imola (just outside of the city of Bologna) cooked the first real Bolognese ragù. and served his tomato-based meat sauce with a plate of maccheroni pasta. By the 1800s, recipes for tomato-based ragù start to show up in a few cookbooks from the Emilia-Romagna region, but the official Ragu alla Bolognese was officially registered by the Italian Academy of Cuisine at the Bologna Chamber of Commerce on October 17th, 1982.

Adding Starchy Pasta Water to Bolognese Sauce Changes Its Appearance

In the photos above, you’ll see what Bolognese sauce looks like after cooking — thick, rich, and luscious and it’s layered into Lasagna alla Bolognese just like this. But when you’re making tagliatelle or pappardelle alla Bolognese, it’s customary (as with most pasta dishes) to add a little starchy pasta cooking water to the sauce before adding the actual pasta and tossing. When you do this with Bolognese, the starchy water revives the milk solids in the ragù and turns the sauce into the customary orangeish-red color it’s famous for. Plus, it makes the sauce super velvety!

What Does Bolognese Look Like When You Eat it In Italy?

In the Above Photos, This is What Pasta Bolognese Looks Like When you Order it In Italy 

Of course, Bolognese dishes vary from restaurant to restaurant and home to home, but the above photos will help give you a better idea of what you can expect when you order Bolognese in Italy. For the most part, the sauce is very creamy and has an orangeish-red color from the addition of tomatoes and milk. The ragù itself will have very small bits of beef, pancetta, and vegetables that seem to mostly melt into the sauce. If you want to mimic this authentic style be sure to finely chop the beef and pancetta before cooking it and add plenty of milk. The next time I make this dish, I’ll finely chop the meat and vegetables first so you can see the difference it makes in the appearance of the final ragù. 

Bolognese Ragù Ingredients (Ragù alla Bolognese Ingredients)

Authentic Bolognese sauce has just a few basic ingredients that create pasta magic during the required slow-simmering cooking time. For this Bolognese, I’ve used red wine, but I also make it with white wine and you can check that post out over here.  Double, triple, or even quadruple the recipe to make extra to freeze for easy weeknight meals.

  • ground beef
  • pancetta
  • tomatoes
  • carrots
  • onions
  • celery
  • garlic
  • dry red or white wine (nothing sparkling or sweet)
  • milk
  • beef broth
  • salt and pepper to taste

 

How to Make Bolognese Sauce (Ragù alla Bolognese)

When you’ve got about 3 hours you know you’ll be around the house, Bolognese ragù is the perfect comfort food recipe to make. There’s very little actual hands-on time (only about 20 to 30 minutes), but you’ll need to give it a stir every now and then and also make sure it maintains a low simmer. This is the kind of pasta sauce that makes the entire house smell amazing.

  1. Render the fat from the pancetta. Heat oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat and add the pancetta and cook for approximately 15 minutes to allow some of the fat to render.
  2. Sauté the vegetables. Add the onions, celery, carrots, and smashed garlic and sauté for 8-10 minutes, or until soft and onions are translucent. Season with salt to taste
  3. Cook the beef. Add the beef breaking it up into small pieces with the back of a spoon, until browned, about 15 minutes, and be sure to season with salt.
  4. Deglaze the pan with wine. Add wine while scraping the browned bits (the fond) from the bottom of the pan. Let the mixture boil for 1 minute to allow some of the alcohol to evaporate. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, beef stock, and salt to taste and stir to blend. Reduce heat to very low and gently simmer, stirring occasionally for approximately 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  5. Add the milk. Add milk to the sauce and cover with a lid left slightly ajar and continue simmering over low heat, stirring occasionally, until milk is absorbed, about 45 minutes, adding more stock by 1/4 cupfuls to thin it out only if needed. Turn off the heat,  adjust the seasonings, and set aside until ready to assemble the lasagna.
  6. If making pasta right away. Add pasta to a lightly salted boiling pot of water and cook according to package directions, stirring occasionally, until about 1 minute before al dente. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of starchy pasta cooking water. Transfer ragù to a large skillet over medium-high heat and add about 1/4 cup of pasta cooking water and stir well, add the noodles and quickly toss to coat. Turn the heat off and serve with freshly grated cheese, Enjoy!

Ragù alla Bolognese step-by-step recipe photos

MealPrep Bolognese Sauce (Portion, Freeze, Reheat & Eat)

This sauce recipe is a favorite MealPrep dish to make ahead of time. I freeze it into 225-250g (about 1 cup) portions that we can pull out of the freezer to reheat for easy weeknight meals or in larger portions for when we want to easily assemble Lasagna Bolognese or for dinner parties.  Plus, if I’m going to cook something as long as this Bolognese sauce, it’s worth my time (and the energy it consumes) to make extra. I like to double or triple the recipe to maximize the yield.

How to Cook Pasta Like a Pro Every Time

If you’ve eaten a forkful of pasta at your favorite restaurant you may have wondered why it can sometimes be so much richer and velvety (even tastier) than the stuff you make at home. Restaurants typically use more fat (and sometimes dairy) than you’d ever imagine cooking with at home. And one of the biggest differences between your spaghetti and theirs mostly comes down to cooking techniques and the quality of ingredients used. In order to bring out the best texture, flavor, and maximum pasta goodness, follow the guidelines below.

  • Don’t pre-cook your pasta noodles. In most cases, try to time the pasta so that the sauce is ready just before (or well in advance of) the noodles and not the other way around.
  • Add starchy pasta cooking water to the sauce. Just before the noodles are finished cooking to “al dente” doneness, add a little starchy water to the sauce and stir.
  • Don’t over-salt the cooking water.  If the pasta cooking water is too salty, it’ll make your final sauce too salty when it gets added. Alternatively, if the pasta water is not salty enough, the noodles will be bland.
  • Cook the pasta directly in the sauce at the end and toss. When you can, it’s good to finish cooking the noodles directly in the sauce for 30 seconds to 2 minutes.  But this is not a technique to be used when making Pasta alla Carbonara because egg yolks are involved.
  • Don’t add any cheese while the sauce is boiling, simmering, or otherwise cooking. Adding grated cheese to a pasta sauce while it’s cooking, causes the cheese to separate and become stringy.  The fat in the cheese will separate leaving the sauce oily. Instead, remove the sauce or pasta from the heat and add the cheese after 15-20 seconds. Alternatively, in some recipes, you may serve the grated cheese at the table instead of adding it directly to the pasta.
  • Skip the dairy. Butter and cream aren’t necessary to create a smooth velvety texture to pasta, although in the right amounts and in the right sauce the addition can be delicious. If you’re using dairy to enhance the flavor, go for it, but if you’re just trying to create a better mouthfeel, use the techniques above and you can’t go wrong.
  • If the sauce is tomato-based use Mutti brand tomatoes (or the best San Marzano DOP tomatoes). My recommended canned tomato brand to use for tomato-based pasta sauces is Mutti. These are consistently the best commercially produced, 100% Italian (non-GMO, no additives or preservatives added), tomatoes from near and around Parma, Italy. These tomatoes are available in the US (and other global markets including China. In Italy, if your family doesn’t grow and can their own tomatoes, or buy them from a local producer, Mutti is a staple found in just about every cupboard here. These tomatoes have an intense real tomato flavor. We have access to an abundant variety of high-quality fresh and canned tomatoes here in Italy, but we still always keep a couple of cans of Mutti on hand. I’m not paid by Mutti. for this glowing endorsement. They’re just one of the best brands out there, and using them absolutely will make all the difference in your homemade pasta or pizza sauce.

The Original Ragù alla Bolognese Recipe from the Italian Academy of Cuisine — A Very Old Authentic Italian Recipe 

Even though ragù alla Bolognese is thought to have had its start (the iteration as we know and love it today) sometime around the 1700s, the recipe was only officially placed in the register of the Italian Academy of Cuisine at the Bologna Chamber of Commerce on October 17th, 1982.  That’s a lot of years being passed down and perfected. It’s a simple, hearty sauce that only needs egg pasta or fluffy, pillowy gnocchi.

With a solemn decree of the Accademia Italiana della Cucina – the Italian Academy of Cuisine, the present was notarized and deposited in the Palazzo della Mercanzia, the Chamber of Commerce of the City of Bologna on the 17th of October 1982.

Ingredients

300 gr. beef cartella (thin skirt)
150 gr. pancetta, dried
50 gr. carrot
50 gr. celery stalk
50 gr. onion
5 spoons tomato sauce or 20 gr. triple tomato extract
1 cup whole milk
Half cup white or red wine, dry and not frizzante
Salt and pepper, to taste.

Procedure

The pancetta, cut into little cubes and chopped with a mezzaluna chopping knife, is melted in a saucepan; the vegetables, once again well chopped with the mezzaluna, are then added and everything is left to stew softly. Next the ground beef is added and is left on the stovetop, while being stirred constantly, until it sputters. The wine and the tomato cut with a little broth are added and everything left to simmer for around two hours, adding little by little the milk and adjusting the salt and black pepper. Optional but advisable is the addition of the panna di cotturaof a litre of whole milk at the end of the cooking.

Looking for More Delicious Pasta Dishes to Make?

If you love pasta as much as we do, here are a few more recipes to inspire your next dinner. 

Ragù alla Bolognese FAQ’s

  • What is Spaghetti Bolognese?  Spaghetti Bolognese is a pasta dish that doesn’t exist in Italy and if you happen to see it on a menu, you know you’re at a tourist trap that most likely is serving only tourists which means the food is not authentic and you should leave the restaurant immediately♡. Italians know their pasta and what sauces work best with which shape in order to provide the best most flavorful eating experience. And they never use spaghetti noodles with this thicker ragù because they don’t hold up well to this thick, rich sauce like tagliatelle, pappardelle, maccheroni, or even gnocchi does. But as I mention above, when you make Bolognese at home, you get to use whatever pasta shape you want (including spaghetti!).
Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon
a wooden spoon holding a closeup shot of Bolognese sauce above the pot and you can see the beef, bits of pancetta, tomato, carrots and onions in this rich darkly colored sauce

Ragù alla Bolognese (Bolognese Pasta Sauce)

  • Author: Kelly
  • Total Time: 3 hours 15 minutes
  • Yield: 8-10 servings depending on hunger level 1x
  • Diet: Gluten Free
Print Recipe

Description

You’ll be sopping up every single last bite of this delicious Italian ragù. Beef, pancetta, tomatoes, onions, carrots, celery, wine, and milk make this a gold standard ragù worthy of its long simmer time. Double, triple, or quadruple this sauce to freeze for making authentic lasagna alla Bolognese, or toss it with tagliatelle, pappardelle, or Gnocchi.

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (28g)
  • 2 medium onions, finely diced (9.5 ounces) or (270g)
  • 2 celery stalks, finely diced (3.5 ounces) or (100g)
  • 2 medium carrots, peeled, finely diced (6 ounces) or (170g)
  • 2 garlic cloves, smashed
  • 1/2 cup (4 ounces) Mutti finely chopped canned tomatoes (118g)
  • 1 pound ground beef (454g)
  • 6 1/2 ounces cubed pancetta, finely chopped (188g)
  • 1/2 cup (4 ounces) dry red or white wine (118g)
  • 2–3 cups low-sodium homemade beef stock, or store-bought (240-720g)
  • 2–3 tablespoons tomato paste, or to taste (28-42g)
  • 1 cup whole milk, or more to taste (240g)
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 3 ounces of tagliatelle, fettuccine, or pappardelle egg pasta per person (80g)
  • grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Grana Padano (for serving)

Instructions

  1. Render the fat from the pancetta. Heat oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat and add the pancetta and cook for approximately 15 minutes to allow some of the fat to render.
  2. Cook the veggies. Add the onions, celery, carrots, and smashed garlic and sauté for 8-10 minutes, or until soft and onions are translucent. Season with salt to taste
  3. Cook the beef. Add the beef breaking it up into small pieces with the back of a spoon, until browned, about 15 minutes, and be sure to season with salt.
  4. Deglaze the pan. Add wine while scraping the browned bits (the fond) from the bottom of the pan. Let the mixture boil for 1 minute to allow some of the alcohol to evaporate. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, and beef stock, and salt to taste and stir to blend. Reduce heat to very low and gently simmer, stirring occasionally for approximately 1 1/2-2 hours. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  5. Add the milk. Add milk to the sauce and cover with a lid left slightly ajar and continue simmering over low heat, stirring occasionally, until milk is absorbed, about 45 minutes, adding more stock by 1/4 cupfuls to thin it out only if needed. Turn off the heat and adjust the seasonings.
  6. If making pasta right away. Add pasta to a lightly salted boiling pot of water and cook according to package directions, stirring occasionally, until about 1 minute before al dente. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup pasta water. Transfer ragù to a large skillet over medium-high heat and add 2-3 spoonfuls of pasta cooking water, add the noodles and quickly toss to coat. Turn the heat off and serve with freshly grated cheese and Enjoy!

Notes

  • Substitute low-sodium chicken stock (homemade or store-bought) for the beef stock.
  • Make the ragù ahead.  It can be made 2 days ahead. Chill uncovered until cold, then cover in an airtight container and keep chilled in the fridge until ready to use. Reheat and use for layering in Lasagna Bolognese or to make a steaming bowl of pasta alla ragù Bolognese. Alternatively, the ragù can be frozen and thawed in the fridge overnight before you need to use it in a recipe.
  • When dicing the vegetables, try and cut them to approximately the same size so that they’ll cook evenly together.
  • The amount of veggies used can vary.  According to the official Bolognese recipe, equal amounts of onion, carrots, and celery should be used equalling 50g of each. I love onion and the very sweet carrots we have in Italy, so I used more of these two veggies than the celery. But feel free to make it the official way if you’d prefer.
  • If you don’t have tomato paste, simply add 1/2 cup (118g) more Mutti finely chopped tomatoes bringing the total amount of finely chopped tomatoes to 1 cup (236g).
  • Do not oversalt. Be sure to season the vegetables, beef, and sauce as the ingredients are added and cooked so that each layer of this ragù is properly seasoned.  However, be careful not to over-salt the sauce in the beginning because as it cooks the liquid will reduce and evaporate somewhat which concentrates the flavors and intensifies the salt. Remember, you can always add salt but can never take it away.
  • How much and which type of wine should I use? I used a little more than 1/2 cup for this recipe.  1/2 cup wine is equal to 4 ounces or 118g.  I used 5 ounces (150g) red wine and we loved it, but I’ve also used 4 ounces of white wine which is just a bit lighter, but still rich with an unmistakable depth of flavor wine gives this ragù.  Either way, this sauce is delicious, just choose a good quality very drinkable wine and you can’t go wrong. Don’t use anything bubbly or sweet for this recipe.
  • I typically end up using 2 1/2 to 3 cups of broth in this sauce, but it’s also great and perhaps a bit more tomatoey if you only use 2 cups of broth.  If you’re making this for the first time, start with 2 cups and increase by 1/2 cup portions as desired.  Be sure to record how much you use, so you’ll know the next time you make this sauce (because you’ll definitely be making it again if you love it as much as we do!).

The Official Bolognese Recipe according to Accademia Italiana della Cucina

With a solemn decree of the Accademia Italiana della Cucina – the Italian Academy of Cuisine, the present was notarized and deposited in the Palazzo della Mercanzia, the Chamber of Commerce of the City of Bologna on the 17th of October 1982.

Ingredients

300 gr. beef cartella (thin skirt)
150 gr. pancetta, dried
50 gr. carrot
50 gr. celery stalk
50 gr. onion
5 spoons tomato sauce or 20 gr. triple tomato extract
1 cup whole milk
Half cup white or red wine, dry and not frizzante
Salt and pepper, to taste.

Procedure

The pancetta, cut into little cubes and chopped with a mezzaluna chopping knife, is melted in a saucepan; the vegetables, once again well chopped with the mezzaluna, are then added and everything is left to stew softly. Next the ground beef is added and is left on the stovetop, while being stirred constantly, until it sputters. The wine and the tomato cut with a little broth are added and everything left to simmer for around two hours, adding little by little the milk and adjusting the salt and black pepper. Optional but advisable is the addition of the panna di cottura of a litre of whole milk at the end of the cooking.

  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 3 hours
  • Category: Sauces + Spreads + Dips
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Cuisine: Italian

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 4 ounces

Keywords: ragù alla Bolognese, ragu Bolognese, tagliatelle bolognese, Bolognese sauce, pasta Bolognese, pasta sauce, homemade pasta sauce, spaghetti bolognese, bolognese pasta,

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @BITINGATTHEBITS on Instagram and hashtag it #BITINGATTHEBITS 

Recipe Card powered byTasty Recipes

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

*