It doesn’t take a lot of work to make a delicious, meaty, incredibly flavorful Bolognese sauce, but it does take time. The secret of any tomato sauce is allowing it to simmer and build the flavor profile of the sauce. But I know you’ll agree that it’s time well spent after one bite of my this dish to declare it is the Very Best Bolognese Pappardelle Recipe you’ve ever tasted.
When it comes to pasta with meat sauce, nothing compares to a traditional Italian Bolognese sauce.
Bolognese sauce is known in Italy as Ragù alla Bolognese or simply Ragù. The meat-based sauce has its humble origins in Bologna, Italy.
As with most Italian dishes there are as many ways to make them as there are Italian grandmothers. My Classical Bolognese sauce embraces the traditions of the recipe with just a few variations, creating the flavor profiles I find more appealing.
While the basic recipe starting with a soffritto (onion, celery and carrots) remains fairly constant, the amount of meat, types of ground meat, amount of tomatoes, and types of herbs used in the sauce. You’ll find this varies from region to region.
But one thing remains constant, it’s delicious! And during my restaurant days, Bolognese Pappardelle was as popular as Veal Parm and Fettucine Alfredo.
Let’s start by gathering the ingredients we need to make Bolognese Sauce. In Chef Speak this is called the Mise en Place which translates into Everything in its Place.
Not only does setting your ingredients up ahead of time speed the cooking process, but it also helps ensure you have everything you need to make the dish.
I use a combination of ground beef and Italian sausage in my bolognese recipe.
What type of tomatoes should I use for Bolognese Sauce?
I use San Marzano tomatoes in my recipes and they are packed as whole tomatoes in juice, which is the only way they’re allowed to be packed for the DOP designation. If you ever see crushed San Marazano tomatoes they may not be true San Marazano tomatoes.
That specific variety of tomatoes is grown in other regions of Italy and even in the US. So buyer beware! It’s the soil, how they’re grown and harvested that makes these tomatoes prized among chefs and home cooks. You can find true San Marzano tomatoes at the grocery store and online.
I don’t use tomato paste in my sauce, because I let it cook for 4-6 hours which thickens the sauce sufficiently and makes a rich amazingly delicious sauce.
If you need to make a quick bolognese sauce, you can use tomato puree or tomato sauce, but you’ll also need tomato paste. The paste will help thicken the sauce and add tomato flavor.
Do I have to use carrots, onions and celery in my Bolognese sauce?
No you don’t. But I urge you to try it with all the ingredients I’ve used before you make any changes. If you use a food processor to finely chop the vegetables you won’t even know they’re in the sauce.
My wife who is a cooked carrot hater, looked at me when she saw the carrots and wasn’t happy. This was the first time I’d made the sauce for her and she couldn’t believe how ah-mazingly delicious it was (with no visible sign of carrots).
But as I’ve stated in the past, recipes are guidelines and if you cook with ingredients you enjoy eating, you’re going to enjoy cooking and spend more time creating delicious dishes for your friends and family.
How to quickly cut vegetables for bolognese sauce
Use a food processor to finely chop the carrots, onions and celery. This will make your sauce smoother and look less like a stew.
The first step in creating this classic Italian meat sauce is creating the soffritto. This mixture of celery, onions and carrots is cooked in butter over medium heat for about 10 minutes. This allows the veggies to slowly cook and caramelize.
At the end of the cooking process of the soffritto, add the minced garlic and continue to cook for an additional 2 minutes.
I use my 6 qt. Copper Core 5-ply All-Clad pot to make the bolognese. It’s classified as a roaster but works for soups, sauces and so much more. It’s the most used pot in my kitchen!
*You could also use a dutch oven to make the sauce.
The next step is cooking the ground beef and sausage meat along with the seasonings. Each type of meat should be cooked separately so the meat has room to brown with as much of it touching the pan as possible.
Don’t disturb the meat, let it cook without turning it over until the very end.
This allows the meat to caramelize adding another layer of flavor to the sauce. When the cooking is complete deglaze the pan with red wine. This will release all the flavorful bits that get stuck to the pan during the cooking process.
*Use a wire whip to break up the chunks of meat. It’s the quickest and easiest way to make the pieces smaller and more palatable.
Do I have to use sausage in Bolognese Sauce?
No, you don’t. As I mentioned earlier depending upon the region of Italy you’re in, the type of meats could be different. You can use any of these meats in your sauce, combining various types of meat or one single type.
- ground chuck
- sausage (pork, chicken or turkey)
- chicken livers (the secret ingredient in many versions)
- ground pork
- ground veal
- ground chicken or turkey
The next step is combining the cooked meats with the soffrito. Mix the ingredients together thoroughly. Add the tomatoes and milk to the pan and bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat to a simmer and allow to cook for 3-4 hours.
After the bolognese sauce has simmered for at least 3 hours, you’ll find that it has thickened.
If the sauce is too thick you can add a little water to the sauce.
The final step in creating this rich and delicious meat sauce is the addition of heavy cream and grated Romano cheese or parmesan cheese.
In the old days, Italian grandmothers would only use a wooden spoon to stir their sauce. Feel free to keep the tradition alive.
This bowlful of deliciousness will definitely bring smiles to your dinner tables. My recipe is also big enough so you can freeze some to be used another day.
*Bolognese sauce freezes well and can be kept up to 6 months in your freezer.
What type of pasta should I use with Bolognese Sauce?
The short answer is to use whatever type of pasta you like to eat. Traditionally Italians enjoy using a wider noodle for the heavier meat sauce, my favorites are:
- Pappardelle
- Tagliatelle
- Fettucine
- Rigatoni
**Bolognese is also used when making classical lasagne.
Can I use a slow cooker or instant pot to make bolognese sauce?
Yes, you can, but to do justice to this sauce, you need to saute the vegetables first and let the meats cook and caramelize prior to putting everything into the slow cooker.
After cooking the vegetables and meats as described in steps 1 and 2 of the recipe, add all the ingredients to your slow cooker and allow to slow cook for 4-6 hours.
Recipe FAQ’s
Bolognese is a ragù that originated from Bologna, Italy. It’s quite different from an Italian-American meat sauce in preparation and seasonings.
Bolognese is a much thicker, richer, meat sauce combining beef and pork along with milk and cream. The tomato isn’t the star of the sauce as much as the meats.
Carrots along with celery and onion are part of the soffrito that helps season the sauce. The natural sweetness of the carrots helps build the complex flavor profile associated with a bolognese sauce.
Most Italian grandmothers will let their sauces simmer all day long. That being said 3-4 hours on simmer after incorporating all the ingredients is the minimum amount of time needed to make a bolognese sauce. Of course it can be rushed, but it won’t reach its potential.
Bolognese sauce comes from the Bologna region of Italy and is made with ground beef and ground pork, although other ground meats can be used. Bolognese is slow-cooked with tomatoes a soffrito (made of onions, carrots, and celery), and milk. Finished with heavy cream and grated romano cheese to give it a creamy texture.
More Pasta Recipes You’ll Love!
Classic Italian Bolognese Recipe
Ingredients
Soffritto
- 2 Tablespoon olive oil
- 6 Tablespoons butter
- 1 large onion finely chopped (approx 1 cup)
- 2 large carrots finely chopped (approx 1 cup)
- 4 stalks celery finely chopped (approx 1 cup)
- 3 cloves garlic chopped
Bolognese
- 1 pound ground chuck 20% fat
- 1 pound sweet Italian sausage meat loose out of casing
- 1 tbsp sea salt to taste
- ½ tsp black pepper to taste
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes to taste
- ¼ tsp nutmeg optional ( I left it out, I don't like nutmeg)
- 1 cup red wine *You can use a dry white wine if you prefer
- 84 ounces plum tomatoes 3 cans of crushed tomatoes or whole tomatoes crushed by hand or food processor. (San Marzano variety if possible)
- ¼ cup Italian parsley finely chopped
- ¼ cup basil finely chopped
- 1 cup milk
Finish Sauce
- 1 cup Romano cheese grated (parmesan can be used as a substitute)
- 1 cup heavy cream (Light cream or half and half can be used as a substitute)
Instructions
Soffritto
- Use a food processor to finely chop the celery, onion, and carrots
- Melt the butter in a large pot over medium-high heat. Then add onion, carrots, and celery, and sauté until the veggies begin to caramelize (about 6 – 8 minutes).
- Add the chopped garlic and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes.
- Remove the cooked vegetables (soffritto) from the pot and save until needed.
Bolognese
- Add the olive oil and ground beef to the pot. Season with sea salt and black pepper and cook for about 10 minutes until the meat browns. Don't be tempted to continually stir and break up the meat. Allow it to get brown well, caramelizing some of the natural sugars in the meat. When the ground beef is fully cooked break up the meat with a wire whip and remove it from the pan.Repeat this process with the sausage meat. Add more olive oil if needed.When cooking is complete add the cooked beef back into the pot.
- Add the red wine to the hot pot. It will deglaze the pan, releasing all the browned bits stuck to the bottom. Scrape the bottom of the pot with a large spoon to help get all the stuck bits loose.
- Return the reserved soffritto to the pot, mix well and allow to cook for 5 minutes.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, milk, basil and parsley, mixing well. Bring to a boil and then lower the heat to a simmer. *If you want to add the nutmeg this is the time to do it. Traditionally nutmeg is added, but its a flavor I've never enjoyed or included in my Bolognese sauce.
- Reduce heat and simmer for 3 to 4 hours.
Finish Sauce
- Stir in heavy cream and Romano cheese, mix well to incorporate the cream and cheese into the sauce. If the sauce is too thick you can add a little water, red wine or milk to thin it out.
- Re-season with sea salt, black pepper and crushed red pepper to taste.
- Serve with your favorite wide noodle pasta, I used Pappardelle.
Kathy
Hello Chef Dennis,
I can’t wait to make this Bolgnese. I just have one question – my daughter can’t have too many onions. Meat sauce and pasta are her absolute favorite foods, but i can’t use too much onion in the recipes. Can I reduce the amount of onion in this recipe? If so, how much would be the minimum amount I can use without effecting the overall result?
Chef Dennis Littley
hi Kathy
of course, you can reduce the amount of onions in the sauce. The overall effect will not be that much different, especially if you’re able to let it cook long enough. Recipes are guidelines and while leaving out an ingredient or reducing it may affect the flavor slightly, making dishes that you and your family can enjoy is more important. Just add a little extra love into the sauce!
Peter Seaton
Absolutely love this recipe. It is my favorite of all the bolognese. Recipes I have tried. Brilliant!
VS
This recipe was fantastic! We love bolognese but most recipes are so labor intensive we don’t bother. This recipe has all the amazing flavor with a limited prep time. Once everything comes together it’s the long simmer that brings it all together instead of the usual process of adding one ingredient at a time and cooking down completely before adding the next. This is the perfect recipe for a perfect bolognese that you can put together on your lunch hour and let cook for the rest of the day. Perfect for those of us working full-time+ at home who still want to have a home cooked meal. On a sidenote, we followed the recipe exactly and went with the nutmeg. It was amazing. This recipe will go into regular rotation and I’ve already shared it around.
Chef Dennis Littley
you made my day with your comment! I’m very happy to hear you enjoyed the bolognese sauce and found the recipe easy to make! I hope you find more delicious recipes on my blog to try…. Have you ever made tiramisu?
Lila
Oh my goodness!! This recipe is absolutely amazing!! I made it for my family yesterday and it was a big hit. Chef Dennis – you are a rock star!!
I followed the recipe exactly as written. The only thing I did was use an immersion blender at the end to make it smooth and creamy.
Shelley garland
I made this sauce and had family over to eat for two days in a row. It was so good everyone wanted it the second day.
Chef Dennis Littley
I love hearing that Shelley! Thanks for the comment and great review!
Juliann
Will this recipe work okay still if I do not use any milk or cream?
Chef Dennis Littley
it will work, it just won’t be as flavorful. You may have to add a little stock or water if it gets too thick
Bill
Amazing sauce. I’ve never made Bolognese before and this came out terrific. Simmering for 3-4 hours really makes it full flavored. Thanks for sharing this!
Chef Dennis Littley
you’re very welcome Bil, I’m happy to hear you enjoyed the sauce!
Tasha
So I’m making this, I’m curious what we can use if my family hates wine…. Any substitutions that won’t make it totally terrible? Anything close as possible to the wine? Thank you so much!!
Chef Dennis Littley
hi Tasha
If no one sees you put in wine, they’ll never taste it. If the wine is a problem, simply leave it out, the sauce will still be delicious!
Candita
Hi Dennis
My sister told me about you, her name is Linda she owns Hampton junction. I also help her with preparing her specials.
I like to add a little nutmeg to finish off the bolognese and top it with a barrata
ball.
Chef Dennis Littley
The original recipe had nutmeg in it, but its never been one of my favorite spices so I leave it out when I make it. The Burrata is great idea
Mike
This recipe is an absolute beauty. I have made it and it is my go to recipe for “Spag Bog” as we call it here in NZL. Try it – its worth it
Sharon Hanna
Hi! I love this sauce – a friend made it and I couldn’t stop eating it. Just FYI it says “soup” when you are describing the pot! Not a big deal but I can’t help but notice ‘errors’….
Chef Dennis Littley
thank you for pointing that out!
Susie Stogsdill
I’m making this sauce this evening, I’ve never tried making Bolognese before. I cannot wait to try it–it smells wonderful!! I used everything as called for except that I used Italian style turkey sausage. I’m so excited to learn sbout the soffrito! Thank you. Chef, for the recipe!
Leslie Gutierrez
This is the 1st time I’ve made Bolognese and it was delicious! I made the recipe basically as written, but took the 1 liberty. I swapped 1/2 lb. ground pork and 1/2 lb. of ground veal for the sausage called for in the recipe.
All other ingredients remained the same.
I used my food processor for the carrots, onions and celery. What a smart idea that was!
I didn’t use a dutch oven because I have a huge saute pan and used that, but if you don’t have a very big saute pan, you may want to use a dutch oven. This recipe makes a good gallon (volume-wise).
I bought tagliatele egg pasta and the best pecorino romano I could find.
Oh my goodness–it delighted every taste bud I have!
So I’ll go on record as saying I will never make any other bolognese recipe.
Hats off to you, Chef Dennis–delicioso!
Chef Dennis Littley
I’m thrilled to hear you adapted my recipe and enjoyed the bolognese sauce! It really is an epic meat sauce and not very difficult to make. I hope you find more recipes on my site to try!
Peg
I’m not really a wine drinker so I have trouble selecting decent wines to cook with. Can you can you suggest a couple dry red wines you’d use in this recipe? I live in Oregon so we have plenty to choose from. Thanks!
Chef Dennis Littley
I would choose a chianti or a red wine made with Sangiovese or Barbera grapes.
Jane
I’d like to make a big batch and freeze some. Would you advise freezing the finished sauce, or would it be better to add the cream and cheese to the sauce after it thaws? Thanks
Chef Dennis Littley
When I had this on at my restaurant, I froze it in portions without the cream and cheese finishing it off when I served the sauce. That would be my preference if you’re making a lot of the sauce.
Athena
I’m making this tomorrow! When simmering, do you leave the lid off, or do you simmer with the lid on? Thanks!
Chef Dennis Littley
I leave the lid off when I simmer tomato sauces.
Madelyn
It’s simmering now. I’ve been craving Bolognese so looking forward to this. Call me crazy but I don’t see where the olive oil is added in the directions. When is the olive oil added? Also, I put the cooked sausage in the food processor to break it up and it worked great. I hope it didn’t affect the taste. I’m going to follow your tips for browning meat for all my recipes. Thank you!
Chef Dennis Littley
wow, you’re absolutely right. The olive oil goes in when you cook the ground beef adding more if you need it when you cook the sausage.
Breaking up the sausage in the food processor is a good idea and won’t affect the taste.
I hope you enjoy this delicious sauce as much as we do!
Tina
If making in a slow cooker when do I add the heavy cream and Romano cheese?
Chef Dennis Littley
add the cream and cheese into the sauce when it’s almost done. Let it simmer for 15-20 minutes