Pappardelle Bolognese

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Pappardelle Bolognese is classic Italian comfort food and one of our favorite family recipes. It is a timeless combination of al dente pappardelle pasta tossed in a luscious slow-cooked meat and tomato ragù, topped with grated parmigiano-reggiano. Trust us, you''ll want to make this over and over again!

Prep Time20

Cook Time2 30

Total Time2 50

Course: Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Servings:

Calories: 460kcal

Author: Kathleen Higashiyama

Equipment

Ingredients

2 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoon butter
1 medium yellow onion finely minced
2 celery ribs finely minced
2 medium carrots finely minced
1 lb ground beef
1-2 teaspoon kosher salt or to taste
½ teaspoon fresh cracked pepper or to taste
½ teaspoon nutmeg
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
1 lb pasta pappardelle, tagliatelle, or rigatoni
grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese

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.
2 celery ribs, 2 medium carrots, 1 medium yellow onion
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 butter, 2 tablespoon olive oil
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 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper, ½ teaspoon nutmeg, ¾ cup white wine, ½ cup milk
Add tomatoes - Add tomatoes to the pot and stir the mixture until the ingredients are covered in tomato juice. Once the sauce starts to boil, lower the heat so the sauce reaches a very low simmer and occasionally bubbles.
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 simmer some more. Cook up to 3 hours for an even deeper, concentrated flavor. Add more salt and pepper to taste and remove from the heat.
Boil pasta - In a large pot, bring salted water to a rolling boil over medium-high heat. Then add pasta to the water and cook until al dente per the packaging instructions. Time the pasta and the sauce so they are ready around the same time. Reserve a cup of pasta water and drain the pasta.
1 lb pasta pappardelle, tagliatelle, or rigatoni
Combine sauce and pasta - Add the pasta to the sauce and gently toss until the pasta is coated. If the pasta is dry, add a little pasta water, about a quarter cup at a time, until the pasta sauce reaches a silky consistency. You do not need to use all of the pasta water.
Serve - Serve in bowls and top with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.
grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese

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.

Storage

Refrigerate leftover pasta in an air-tight container for up to 5 days. Reheat the leftovers on low heat and occasionally stir until warm.

Nutrition