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