Bolognese Sauce is a classic Italian comfort recipe that's a rich and flavorful blend of ground beef, tomatoes, and aromatic vegetables. Cooked low and slow to perfection, this versatile sauce can be enjoyed over pasta, used in lasagna, or served with polenta or arancini.
We love bolognese because it is as delicious as it is versatile. Kat's mom and Nonna make it all of the time, and we love to make a big batch then use it for multiple dinners. However you enjoy it, it makes for a hearty and satisfying sauce for all types of dishes.
Don't feel tempted to take a shortcut and buy a jar of sauce. If you make it from scratch, you can control the quality ingredients, the flavors, and the consistency of the sauce. Plus, it only requires 10 minutes of prep and yields plenty of leftovers!
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Why You'll Love Bolognese
- Taste - The bolognese is savory, bright, and rich.
- Texture - It is smooth and light with small chunks of meat and veggies.
- Effort - All you need to do is cook the veggies, then the meat, then the tomatoes.
- Time - It takes about 10 minutes of prep and about 2 and half hours to cook.
Key Ingredients
- Soffritto - Soffritto is the flavorful base for many Italian dishes and consists of minced onions, carrots, and celery. Make it by mincing with a knife and cutting board or take a shortcut and make it with a food processor.
- Ground beef - Ground beef provides the hearty richness to the bolognese sauce. We recommend an 85/15 or 80/20 so there's enough fat to add flavor. The fat from the beef slowly renders and makes the buttery consistency.
- Whole milk - Whole milk maintains the beef's tenderness and makes the sauce extra rich.
- White wine - White wine works especially well with dairy. It adds depth and complexity to the sauce and brightens the flavor.
- Italian tomatoes - Imported Italian plum tomatoes and San Marzano tomatoes have a sweeter, more intense, and less acidic tomato taste compared to domestically grown tomatoes. Passata is a tomato purée that you can make from the canned tomatoes or purchase in a jar, often imported from Italy.
- Parmigiano-reggiano cheese - Parmigiano-reggiano is an aged Italian cheese made of cow's milk. It is full of umami flavor and is the perfect topping for a beef ragù.
See recipe card for quantities.
Substitutions and Variations
- Lean beef - Use a lean ground beef with lower fat content.
- Ground Pork - Use a blend of ground pork and ground beef for a milder flavor.
- Pancetta or guanciale - Render chopped pancetta or guanciale and use the rendered fat to cook the soffritto.
- Red wine - Use red wine instead of white wine to add more body to the sauce.
- Stock - Instead of wine, opt for a rich beef stock to add flavor to the ragù.
- Spicy - Add red chili flakes or fresh cracked black pepper to spice up the sauce.
How to make Make Traditional Bolognese Sauce
- Prepare veggies - Finely mince the celery, carrots, and onion. The goal is to mince the vegetables so finely that they essentially melt when cooked with the olive oil.
- Warm oil and butter - In a large pot or dutch oven, heat oil over medium-low heat. Add in butter to melt. (Photo 1)
- Cook veggies - Then stir in minced onion, carrot, and celery and cook for about 10-15 minutes, or until the onion turns translucent and the carrot and celery are soft, stirring occasionally. The mixture, known as soffritto, should be soft and cooked down. (Photo 2 and 3)
- Cook and season beef - Break beef into chunks and stir into the soffritto mixture. Then add kosher salt, pepper, and nutmeg. (Photo 4)
- Brown beef - Once the meat begins to brown, stir in the milk and cook until it is absorbed in the meat, about 3 minutes. Then add the white wine and simmer until reduced. (Photo 5)
- Add tomatoes - Add tomatoes to the pot and stir the mixture until the ingredients are covered in tomato juice. Once the sauce starts to simmer, lower the heat so the sauce reaches a very gentle bubble. (Photo 6)
- Simmer sauce - Allow sauce to gently cook over low heat for 2½ hours with the lid partially covering the pot, stirring occasionally. If the sauce dries out and is too thick, you may add a little water or beef stock and stir, then simmer some more. Cook up to 3 hours for an even deeper, concentrated flavor. (Photo 7)
- Season and enjoy - Then add more salt and pepper to taste. Use for pasta, lasagna, polenta, and more. (Photo 8)
Bolognese Tips
- High quality ingredients - The quality of the sauce depends on the quality of the ingredients. Be sure to use fresh veggies for the soffritto, flavorful tomatoes, and high-quality beef.
- Gently bubble, don't boil - Be sure to cook the sauce over low heat slowly to ensure the flavors meld and the sauce thickens.
Recipe FAQs
What is the best type of pasta for bolognese sauce?
The best type of pasta for this classic Italian sauce are wide flat noodles, such as pappardelle or tagliatelle, and wide tube pasta shapes, such as rigatoni or penne. Wide noodles with more surface area allow the sauce to cling to the pasta.
What can you serve with bolognese sauce?
After you coat the pasta noodles with Bolognese sauce, enjoy the bolognese pasta as the primo piatto in a traditional Italian meal or enjoy with a simple arugula or romaine side salad dressed in olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and salt and pepper.
Other Authentic Pasta Recipes
- Nonna’s Pasta Pomodoro
- Bucatini Seafood Pasta
- Pesto Orecchiette with Rapini and Sausage
- Eggplant Pasta
Did You Like This Recipe?
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📖 Recipe
Traditional Bolognese Sauce (Ragù alla Bolognese)
Bolognese Sauce is a classic Italian comfort recipe that's a rich and flavorful blend of ground beef, tomatoes, and aromatic vegetables. Cooked low and slow to perfection, this versatile sauce can be enjoyed over pasta, used in lasagna, or served with polenta or arancini.
Servings: 6
Calories: 304kcal
Equipment
- 1 knife
- 1 medium pot or dutch oven
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoon butter
- 1 medium yellow onion finely chopped
- 2 celery ribs finely chopped
- 2 medium carrots finely chopped
- 1 lb ground beef 85/15 or 80/20
- 1-2 teaspoon kosher salt or to taste
- ½ fresh cracked black pepper or to taste
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg or to taste
- ½ cup milk
- ¾ cup white wine
- 28 oz passata, or 28 oz can of San Marzano or Italian crushed plum tomatoes plus the juice *see notes
Instructions
- Prepare vegetables - Finely mince the celery, carrots, and onion. The goal is to mince the vegetables so finely that they essentially melt when cooked with the olive oil.1 medium yellow onion, 2 celery ribs, 2 medium carrots
- Cook vegetables - In a large pot or dutch oven, heat oil over medium-low heat. Add in butter to melt. Stir in minced onion, carrot, and celery and cook for about 10-15 minutes, or until the onion turns translucent and the carrot and celery are soft, stirring occasionally. The mixture, known as soffritto, should be soft and cooked down.2 tablespoon olive oil, 2 tablespoon butter, ½ cup milk
- Cook beef - Break beef into chunks and stir into the soffritto mixture. Add kosher salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Once the meat begins to brown, stir in the milk and cook until it is absorbed in the meat, about 3 minutes. Then, add the white wine and simmer until reduced.1 lb ground beef, 1-2 teaspoon kosher salt, ½ fresh cracked black pepper, ¾ cup white wine, ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- Add tomatoes - Add tomatoes to the pot and stir the mixture until the ingredients are covered in tomato juice. Once the sauce starts to simmer, lower the heat so the sauce reaches a very gentle bubble.28 oz passata, or 28 oz can of San Marzano or Italian crushed plum tomatoes plus the juice
- Simmer sauce - Allow sauce to gently bubble on low heat for 2½ hours with the lid partially covering the pot, stirring occasionally. If the sauce dries out and is too thick, you may add a little water or beef stock and stir, then cook some more. Cook up to 3 hours for an even deeper, concentrated flavor. Add more salt and pepper to taste. Use for pasta, lasagna, polenta, arancini, and more.
Video
Notes
*For the tomatoes, you can use canned whole tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, or passata. Passata is a smooth tomato purée. If you use canned whole tomatoes, we recommend blending them until smooth or pulsing in a blender until broken down. You can also do this by hand.
Store and Reheat Instructions
Refrigerate Bolognese sauce for up to 5 days in an air-tight container. To reheat, simply place the desired amount of sauce in a pot or dutch oven. Reheat over low heat occasionally stirring until the sauce is hot.
Top Tips
- Use high quality ingredients - The quality of the sauce depends on the quality of the ingredients. Be sure to use flavorful tomatoes, high quality beef, and fresh veggies for the soffritto.
- Gently bubble, don't boil - Be sure to cook the sauce low and slow to ensure the flavors meld together and the sauce thickens nicely.
Nutrition
Calories: 304kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 56mg | Sodium: 1075mg | Potassium: 752mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 3740IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 105mg | Iron: 3mg
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sara
One of my dream meals! Love anything with bolognese sauce!
Becca
Wow, there's nothing better than fresh pasta and homemade sauce! This looks incredible!!!
Haley
I love how with such simple ingredients you can make such a flavorful sauce! The best.
Laura
This looks divine, and so approachable!