Bolognese Sauce (Ragu alla Bolognese)
Just about every region of Italy has its own version of a Ragu, a slow cooked meat sauce, but perhaps the most famous is from the city of Bologna in Emilia-Romagna, Ragu alla Bolognese. Where in other areas, especially in Southern Italy, the Ragu typically starts with large cuts of meat which are cooked slowly in a tomato based sauce until they become tender, Bolognese Sauce is made using ground meat. Here I use even parts beef and pork, but it can also be done using all beef or I have even used a combination of beef, pork and veal.
Bolognese is traditionally served over fresh pasta, such as tagliatelle, fettuccine or pappardelle, but that doesn’t mean you can’t use dried pasta if you want or don’t have fresh available. Sometimes I like to use Rigatoni, the ridges do a nice job of grabbing on to the sauce. That’s the great thing about cooking for yourself in your own kitchen, you can do whatever works for you.
The Three Things That Matter
Use a 50/50 beef and pork mix. All beef makes the sauce dense and one-note. All pork is too sweet. The mix is what gives Bolognese its richness. Veal is a worthwhile third addition if you can find it (use equal thirds), but the beef and pork combination is the baseline.
The long simmer is non-negotiable. Two to three hours on low heat. Not one hour. Not 90 minutes. The sauce needs time for the meat to break down into something tender and the flavors to concentrate. If you don’t have the time, save the recipe for a Sunday and make a double batch.
No garlic. This is the dish where my American-Italian instinct fights with the Italian tradition. Real Ragu alla Bolognese from Emilia-Romagna doesn’t include garlic. The aromatics come from the soffritto (onion, carrot, celery) and the pancetta. If you add garlic, you’ve got something delicious but it’s not Bolognese.
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Bolognese Sauce Recipe
- Total Time: 3 hours
- Yield: 4 1x
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup finely chopped yellow onion
- 1/2 cup finely chopped carrot
- 1/2 cup finely chopped celery
- 1/4 pound pancetta, chopped coarsely
- 1–1/2 pounds ground beef, preferably chuck
- 1–1/2 pounds ground pork
- 1 cup beef broth, hot
- 1 35oz can of imported whole Italian tomatoes, passed through a food mill
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- salt & pepper to taste
- 1 pound fresh tagliatelle pasta
- 1/2 cup heavy cream (optional)
Instructions
- In a large deep sauce pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot and celery, cook stirring occasionally until the onion is translucent, about 10 minutes.
- Add the pancetta and cook until the fat begins to render, about 5 minutes. Then add the ground beef pork, turn heat to high and cook, stirring occasionally until meat is browned, about 15 minutes.
- Pour in the beef broth and stir making sure to scrape in any browned bits of meat that are sticking to the bottom or sides of the pan. Then add the tomatoes and tomato paste, and season with salt and pepper. Let come to a boil, lower the heat to low and simmer for 2 hours, stirring occasionally. The sauce should be thick with very little liquid left.
- Stir in the cream (if using) and simmer for 5 minutes. Bring a pot of generously salted water to a boil, add the tagliatelle and cook until al dente. Strain pasta, toss with the bolognese sauce in a large bowl and serve.
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Cook Time: 2 hours 30 mins
Substitutions
- Beef + pork + veal. Use 1 pound each. The veal adds tenderness and a slightly delicate flavor. This is closer to the traditional Emilia-Romagna version.
- All beef. Works but the sauce is denser and less complex. Use 80/20 ground chuck for the best balance of flavor and fat.
- Pancetta vs. guanciale vs. bacon. Pancetta is the right call here (cured but not smoked). Guanciale works and is even richer. Bacon’s smoke flavor is too aggressive for this dish, save it for breakfast.
- Cream vs. milk vs. neither. Cream is optional and modern. Traditional recipes use a splash of whole milk early in the cook (with the meat) for tenderness. Some Bolognese purists skip the dairy entirely. All three are legitimate.
- Red wine. Add ½ cup of dry red wine after the meat browns and before the broth. Common addition that adds depth. Use what you’d drink.
FAQ
Bolognese is a specific slow-cooked ragu from Bologna with a soffritto base (onion, carrot, celery), pancetta, ground meat, milk or cream, and a long simmer. American “meat sauce” usually starts from marinara with browned ground beef added in, no soffritto, often with garlic, and finished in 30 minutes. Both are good. They’re different dishes.
No. Real Ragu alla Bolognese doesn’t include garlic. The aromatics come from the onion-carrot-celery soffritto and the pancetta. Garlic shifts the sauce into Italian-American territory, which is fine, just not Bolognese.
A splash of whole milk added early (with the meat, before the tomatoes) tenderizes the meat and adds a subtle richness. It’s traditional in Emilia-Romagna. Cream added at the end (as in this recipe) is a more modern substitute. Both work.
2 hours is the minimum. 3 hours is better. The slow cook is what breaks down the meat and concentrates the flavors. If you cut it short, you have a meat sauce, not a Bolognese.
Slow cooker yes, after browning the meat and aromatics on the stovetop first (do not skip this step). 6 hours on low. Instant Pot works in a pinch but the texture is slightly different.
Fresh tagliatelle is traditional in Bologna. Fresh fettuccine and pappardelle are equally correct. Dried pasta works in a pinch (rigatoni, fettuccine, or pappardelle). Spaghetti with Bolognese is a famous American invention that doesn’t actually exist in Bologna.
what is meat broth
Sorry it should say beef broth. I have updated it. Thanks for the question.
The imported Italian tomatoes – should they be whole/diced/crushed?
They should be whole and passed through a food mill. Not sure how the recipe lost that info, but I have updated it. Thanks.
If I were to add Veal to the meat mix, would I change the recipe to 1 lb of a 3 meats ? Thanks.
Yes.
Vinny
My Grandfather was Joe Vincent DeSimone
From the Bronx, then Bronx vile, NY
He passed in 1985, worked in the liquor business for many years
We were very close
My Mom is Carole DeSimone (Parlato) and lives in Westchester, NY
I live in Palm Beach, Fl and one of my sons name is Vinny.
Any relation u think?
Hi Phil
If I remember correctly your Dad made the best Bolognese sauce ever. I also remember He would prepare a large pot of it early in the afternoon for the evening rush, and after he cooked the meat (but before adding wine, broth or crushed pomodoro) his brother would load it into a big cloth and squeeze out all the fat- then back into the big pot to add all else
I use a colander instead
As hard as I’ve tried I’ve never been able to match Paul’s bolognese!
He taught me how to make cappelli D’Angelo carbonara, which I still make once a week and love
Hope all is well
Phil
1 last question- what was in your Dads Veal Chop Imperiale? He took a veal chop, cut a pocket to stuff, I think breadcrumbs, prosciutto & pecorino, fried in pan, then would finish in front of the customer with a sweet sauce(plum?) and some brandy top off and lit
Maybe chestnuts??
I dream about it sometimes