Description
Two delicious and authentic (yet slightly varied) recipes for homemade Bolognese sauce right from the heart of Bologna and the greater Emilia-Romagna region. Slow-simmered, rich, and sumptuous — these two recipes are the gold standard for Bolognese. Use them to make authentic lasagna alla Bolognese, or toss them with your favorite pasta like homemade pappardelle, tagliatelle, or gnocchi Bolognese.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
(Best Bolognese Recipe #1 Ingredients)
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, or more to taste (30g)
- 2 medium onions, finely diced (9 1/2 ounces) (270g)
- 2 medium carrots, peeled, finely diced (6 ounces) (170g)
- 2 celery stalks, finely diced (3 1/2 ounces) (100g)
- 1/2 cup (4 ounces) Mutti finely chopped canned tomatoes (120g)
- 1 pound ground beef (450g)
- 6 1/2 ounces cubed pancetta, finely chopped (185g)
- 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons (5 ounces) dry red wine like Sangiovese, Pinot Nero, Cabernet (150g)
- 2 1/2 to 3 cups low-sodium homemade beef stock, or store-bought (240g-720g)
- 2 to 3 tablespoons double concentrated tomato paste (30g-45g) (sub regular tomato paste)
- 1 cup whole milk, or more to taste (240g)
- salt to taste
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
(Best Bolognese Recipe #2 Ingredients)
- 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (75g)
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (100g)
- 1 medium onion (7 ounces) (200g)
- 1 medium carrot (3 1/2 ounces) (100g)
- 1 rib of celery (1/4 cup) (85g)
- 1 1/2 pounds ground beef (700g) (well-marbled cuts like the neck, skirt, chuck, or sirloin)
- 11 ounces pancetta finely minced or chopped in a food processor (300g) (sub pork belly)
- 1 1/2 cups dry red wine such as Sangiovese di Romagna (330g) (sub cabernet, merlot, pinot nero, or other dry red wine)
- 1 cup chicken broth (plus more as needed up to 2 full cups total) (225g)
- 1 cup whole milk (240g)
- 17 1/2 ounces tomato passata (500g)
- 2 tablespoons double concentrated tomato paste (30g) (sub regular tomato paste)
- 2 to 2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, or more or less to taste (8 g)
- black pepper to taste
Instructions
(Best Bolognese Recipe #1 Instructions)
- Render the fat from the pancetta. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat, add the pancetta, and cook for approximately 15 minutes to allow some of the fat to render.
- Cook the soffritto. Add the onions, celery, and carrots to the pot, season with a little salt, and sauté for 8-10 minutes, or until the onions are translucent and the moisture has evaporated.
- Cook the beef. Add the beef to the pot breaking it up into small pieces with the back of a spoon, season with salt, and cook until no longer pink and the moisture has evaporated, about 15 minutes.
- Deglaze the pan and add the tomatoes and broth. Add the wine while scraping the browned bits (the fond) from the bottom of the pan. Let the mixture cook for 3-5 minutes to allow the alcohol to evaporate. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, and beef stock and stir everything well to combine. Season with a little salt and black pepper, reduce heat to low, and gently simmer covered, stirring occasionally for approximately 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Adjust seasonings. *See recipe notes for how to season so you don’t end up with an overly salty Bolognese after it has reduced.
- Add the milk and finish the ragù. Add milk to the sauce, cover with the lid left slightly ajar, and continue simmering over low heat, stirring occasionally until the milk is absorbed, about 45 minutes, adding more beef stock by 1/4 cup at a time to thin it out only if needed. Turn off the heat, adjust the seasonings, and serve right away, or cool it to room temperature, and store it in the refrigerator or freezer, Enjoy!
(Best Bolognese Recipe #2 Instructions)
- Cook the soffritto. In a large dutch oven set over medium-low heat, add the butter, olive oil, and onions, season with salt, and sauté until translucent but not browned and most of the moisture has evaporated (about 10 minutes). Turn up the heat to medium, add the carrots, and cook for 5 minutes. Next, add the celery and cook for 5 minutes more.
- Cook the pancetta. Add the ground (or finely diced) pancetta to the pot and sauté until cooked through and most of the fat has been rendered (about 10 minutes).
- Cook the beef. Add 1/2 of the beef to the pot breaking it up into small pieces with the back of a spoon, season with salt, and cook until no longer pink and some of the moisture has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Add the rest of the beef, season with salt, and cook until the moisture has evaporated (about 10 minutes).
- Deglaze the pot with wine. Add the wine while scraping the browned bits (the fond) from the bottom of the pot. Let the mixture cook for at least 20 minutes and up to 25 minutes to allow the alcohol to evaporate.
- Add the milk, tomato, and broth, and finish the ragù. Add the tomato passata to the pot. Stir the tomato paste into the chicken stock and milk, and add it to the pot. Season with a little salt and black pepper, reduce heat to low, and gently simmer covered, stirring occasionally for approximately 2 1/2 hours. You may add chicken stock a 1/4 cup at a time to thin it out only as needed. Turn off the heat, adjust the seasonings, and serve right away, Enjoy! *See recipe notes for how to season so you don’t end up with an overly salty Bolognese after it has reduced.
Notes
- Substitute beef broth with low-sodium chicken stock or vice versa.
- Make the ragù ahead. It can be made up to 3 days in advance. Chill uncovered until cold, then cover in an airtight container and keep refrigerated until ready to use. Reheat and use needed.
- Freeze bolognese in an airtight container for up to 6 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight before you need to use it in a recipe.
- When dicing the vegetables, try and cut them the same size so that they’ll cook evenly together. For a smoother sauce like recipe #2, finely dice the veggies instead of the regular dice I’ve used in recipe #1.
- Don’t overwhelm the sauce with too many vegetables. According to the official Bolognese recipe, equal amounts of onion, carrots, and celery should be used (50g) of each for every 450g of total meat used. I love onion and the sweet carrots we have in Italy, so I use more of these two vegetables than the celery. Do what you prefer, but don’t overwhelm your sauce with too many vegetables.
- If you don’t have tomato paste, substitute with 1/2 cup (120g) of finely chopped tomatoes, whole peeled whole tomatoes, or tomato passata.
- Do not oversalt the sauce. Be sure to season the vegetables, beef, and sauce as the ingredients are added so that each layer of this ragù is properly seasoned. However, be careful not to salt it as you would say a 30-minute spaghetti sauce because as the ragù cooks the liquid reduces all of the flavors are concentrated which intensifies the salt. Remember, you can always add salt but can never take it away.
- If you’re looking for a small pasta bolognese recipe, simply cut this recipe in half using a scale. I’ve provided the gram measurements for each ingredient which makes it super easy to half this bolognese recipe. I would only recommend halving the recipe if you want to try both Bolognese recipes in a side-by-side comparison. Mostly because it’s so delicious and this beef ragù freezes so well, but also because of the energy consumed in preparing it (3-4 hours cooking).
- If you want to make a slow cooker Bolognese, all you have to do is transfer the bolognese sauce mixture from the stovetop to a slow cooker once you’ve added the tomatoes and broth in Recipe #1 and cook on low for 5 hours at which point you’ll add the milk and cook on low for an additional 1 hour. And in Recipe #2, you’ll transfer the sauce after you add the milk, tomatoes, and broth and cook the mixture for 6 hours.
- For a no-wine Bolognese sauce substitute chicken broth or beef broth for the wine.
- For a no-pork Bolognese sub equal amounts of beef.
- Make a Kosher Bolognese Sauce. Omit any dairy called for in the recipe (butter or milk) and any pork and instead use only olive oil and beef.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 3 hours
- Category: Sauces + Spreads + Dips
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4 ounces
