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My delicious Bolognese Sauce recipe is as easy as bolognese sauce recipes get, and more flavorful than you can imagine! Packed with tender beef, pork, and pancetta, this classic bolognese sauce recipe will redefine how you think of meat sauces for pasta.
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Beef Bolognese Recipe
Let me introduce you to the absolute best Bolognese sauce recipe you will ever try! Beef bolognese is one of my favorite pasta sauces out there, but the long cooking time tends to scare people off. I promise, a classic beef bolognese recipe like this one is worth every second of simmering. There's absolutely nothing in the world like it.
I based this recipe off my family's favorite brisket ragu, aiming for an easy bolognese sauce recipe that wouldn't take 8 hours in the slow cooker! The result was this bolognese meat sauce that made use of the already-crumbly texture of ground meat to reduce cook time, while making sure to keep the creamy, rich flavor you can only get from long hours of simmering.
The ingredients list might look intimidating, but I promise you, this is one meat sauce recipe you're not going to want to miss out on. Make it once, and you'll never look at jarred pasta sauce the same again!
Tools to Make Bolognese Sauce
- A sturdy pot or dutch oven. Use a very big pot, as you'll be adding plenty of liquid.
- A cutting board for dicing vegetables.
- A sharp knife.
- A wooden or silicone spoon for scraping up browned bits off the pot.
- A garlic press - optional, but I'm obsessed with mine!
Bolognese Sauce Ingredients Notes
- Butter: Butter makes the sauce silky and rich. Don't skip it! If you use salted butter, be careful when adding additional salt.
- Onion: I use yellow onion, but white or red will work, too.
- Carrots: Carrots add natural sweetness that helps mellow out the sauce.
- Celery: Celery brings in a unique savory flavor when cooked with the onions and carrots.
- Garlic: Use fresh garlic cloves for best results, but you can also use garlic paste, jarred minced garlic, or garlic powder in a pinch.
- Tomato paste: Tomato paste has an intense sweet and umami flavor that darkens and enhances the flavor. It's not the same as marinara sauce.
- Pancetta: A non-smoked pork belly cut similar to bacon, pancetta brings silky fat and flavor to the sauce. You can also use thick-cut bacon.
- Ground beef: This meat sauce uses a blend of ground beef and ground pork for the best texture and flavor.
- Ground pork: I recommend using ground pork or ground Italian sausage.
- White wine: A dry white wine will work best, but you can also use red wine. Both will taste incredible.
- Whole milk: I like whole milk, but you can also use heavy cream. The milk really brings in a creamy richness, and you'll want the fat content.
- Low-sodium chicken stock: You can also use beef broth or beef stock.
- Whole peeled tomatoes: Whole peeled tomatoes have a superior texture and flavor! I prefer San Marzano brand. Save the liquid, as you'll add it too.
- Bay leaves: Remove these after cooking.
- Parsley: Fresh flat-leaf parsley is ideal. If you want, you can add more herbs such as fresh oregano and basil.
- Salt and pepper: Freshly cracked black pepper adds a lovely bit of heat! Be careful with the salt, however, as it's easy to overdo it.
Hi, I'm Isabel! I've been sharing my recipes online, in cookbooks, and in TV specials since 2012. The most important thing to me is Sunday supper with my family, and inspiring togetherness with my recipes!
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Making Bolognese Detailed Instructions
Recipe prep: Dice the vegetables very finely, as evenly as you can. This is the hardest part of the entire recipe, so take your time! Then slice up the butter, and dice the pancetta. If you want your tomatoes in very small pieces, you can dice or crush them now. Set them all in separate bowls.
Step 1: Place butter in a heavy soup pot or Dutch Oven over medium-high heat. Make sure to slice the butter up so it all melts evenly, or else it can burn before it's all melted through.
Step 2: Add the pancetta to the melted butter and stir frequently until it's nicely browned and crispy.
Step 3: Remove the pancetta to a plate and set aside. I like to use a slotted spoon for this, or tongs. Do not drain the remaining fat!
Step 4: Add in the finely diced carrots, onion, and celery. Stir often and cook until they're getting soft, about 7-8 minutes. If the onions start browning, turn down the heat!
Step 5: Add in the pancetta again, then add in one third of the beef and pork. Stir and break up, letting the liquid evaporate off, before adding the second third. Repeat until all the meat is added.
Step 6: Keep cooking until the meat is completely cooked through, the liquid is fully evaporated, and the meat is starting to stick to the bottom of the pan.
Step 7: Pour in the wine. It should bubble fiercely- this is good! As it's boiling, scrape up the stuck bits on the bottom of the pan. Lower the heat to medium-low.
Step 8: Finally, add in the rest of the ingredients, and mix well. Once it comes to a boil again, half-cover the pot and turn down the heat as much as possible so it remains at a lazy simmer; in a Dutch Oven, I find that almost the lowest heat setting works well.
Step 9: Simmer! You want to let the sauce simmer for as long as possible, a minimum of 4 hours. Give it a good stir every 30 minutes or so to ensure nothing is sticking. If it's thickening too fast, add more broth and cover the pot more (but never fully).
Step 10: Once the sauce has simmered, remove the bay leaves, stir again, and uncover the pot entirely before letting it simmer for another 30 minutes to thicken. You may need to turn up the heat as the lid will no longer be keeping in warmth.
Step 11: Remove the bay leaves, garnish generously with Parmeggano Reggiano cheese, and enjoy! Check out my list of great ways to serve bolognese below!
Tips for Making Bolognese Sauce
- You absolutely must let bolognese sauce simmer for at least four hours to ensure that the flavors have completely melded together and the texture is thick and rich.
- Make sure to leave the lid just slightly off so that some steam can escape. This ensures that the sauce will thicken versus just continuing to boil.
- I've made this sauce with venison before and it was absolutely to die for!
- Make sure to cook the vegetables up in the fat from the pancetta. This will flavor them as they cook.
- Using high quality tomatoes really makes a difference here!
- For extra umami flavor, rehydrate a packet of dried porcini mushrooms, then dice them and add them into the sauce. Use a little of the liquid alongside the broth.
Storing Leftover Bolognese Sauce and Reheating
- Refrigerator: Leftover bolognese lasts up to 5 days in the fridge in an airtight container. Let the bolognese cool completely before storing- I recommend quickly cooling the entire pot in a cold water bath in the sink to ensure it cools without spoilage.
- Freezer: You can absolutely freeze bolognese, and I recommend it! Make a huge batch and freeze it in portion sized containers for up to 3 months. This means you have easy bolognese sauce at any time, without the 4 hour cook time!
- Thawing: Thaw frozen bolognese in the fridge overnight, or place it in a saucepan over low heat, stirring often, until heated through.
- Reheating: Bolognese can be reheated in the microwave or on the stove. I recommend reheating it alongside pasta so the pasta can soak up the liquid!
FAQ
Technically, bolognese sauce is a type of ragu! It's set apart by using white wine and having a higher proportion of meat to tomato, while the classically known ragu uses more tomato and red wine. But you can change up the proportions as you wish- it's the flavor that matters, not the name!
No, unfortunately. While it would be convenient, the slow cooker doesn't allow for enough steam to escape, meaning the sauce will never thicken. This sauce must be made in a pot on the stove.
What to Serve Bolognese On
- Pasta is a classic! Tagliatelle pasta is the traditional choice, but I also enjoy it on spaghetti or pappardelle.
- Use it as the meat sauce in lasagna!
- Make even more flavorful chicken parmesan by mixing leftover bolognese into the marinara!
- Serve it over roasted carrots and other veggies!
- Or of course, dip a fresh roll or toasty garlic bread in it and dig in!
Bolognese Sauce
Ingredients
- ¼ cup unsalted butter - ½ stick
- 1 medium onion - finely diced
- 2 large carrots - peeled and finely diced
- 2 large celery stalks - finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic - minced
- 1 Tablespoon tomato paste
- 4 ounces pancetta - diced
- ¾ pound ground beef
- ¾ pound ground pork
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 cup low-sodium stock - chicken or beef
- 28 ounce whole tomatoes - peeled San Marzano tomatoes and their liquid. Tomatoes can be crushed by hand or cut up.
- 2 bay leaves
- ¼ cup flat leaf parsley - chopped
- kosher salt
- black pepper - freshly ground
- 1 pound pappardelle pasta - cooked according to package instructions.
Instructions
- Melt butter in a large heavy pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat, and add in the pancetta. Stir frequently until crispy.
- Remove the pancetta and set aside, leaving the fat in the pan. Add onion, carrot, celery, garlic, tomato paste and 1 teaspoon of kosher salt.
- Saute, stirring frequently, for about five minutes. If the onion or garlic starts to brown reduce heat. Cook until fairly soft, then add in the pancetta again.
- Add the beef and pork about a third at a time, allowing most of the liquid to evaporate before incorporating more.
- Cook, stirring frequently, until all the pink is gone from the meat, all the liquid is evaporated and you can feel brown bits starting to stick to the bottom of the pot.
- Deglaze the pot with the cup of white wine, scraping up all the browned bits. Then lower the heat to medium-low so it doesn't start sticking again.
- Add milk, broth, tomatoes, 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, a crack of freshly ground black pepper and bring to a boil. Crush the whole tomatoes against the side of the pot with a wooden spoon (or cut them up before adding them).
- Reduce heat to as low as possible maintaining a very lazy simmer. Add bay leaves and parsley.
- Simmer on low, half covered, for four hours, stirring occasionally.
- Once the cook time is up, remove bay leaves.
- If the sauce has not completely thickened yet, increase heat slightly and simmer another 15 to 30 minutes with the lid off.
- Serve with pasta and a healthy dose of freshly grated parmigiano reggiano.
Notes
- This is one of those sauces that cannot be made quickly. You absolutely must let it simmer for at least four hours to ensure that the flavors have completely melded together and the texture is thick and rich.
- Make sure to leave the lid just slightly off so that some steam can escape. This ensures that the sauce will thicken versus just continuing to boil.
- I've made this sauce with venison before and it was absolutely to die for!
- Make sure to cook the vegetables up in the fat from the pancetta. This will flavor them as they cook.
- Using high quality tomatoes really makes a difference here!
- For extra umami flavor, rehydrate a packet of dried porcini mushrooms, then dice them and add them into the sauce. Use a little of the liquid alongside the broth.
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