White Bolognese has a variety of meats, sausage, and vegetables that are slow-simmered in stock and cream to create a sauce that is silky and tender.
Rich and Savory White Bolognese
If you mention “bolognese” to most Italian-food lovers, chances are they will think of a tomato-based meat sauce. Allow me to introduce you to a White Bolognese! (It’s fantastic!) This sauce is also called Ragu Bianco.
This savory, silky, and rich sauce is similarly made with ground meat and vegetables and simmered low and slow in milk or cream – but no tomatoes or tomato sauce are added. As a result, the flavors of the meat, herbs, and other seasonings really shine through.
Like the other bolognese, you can serve this White Bolognese tossed over your favorite pasta or used in other recipes that call for a meat sauce. (We will be sharing a White Bolognese Lasagna recipe next week!)
Key Ingredients & Substitutions
- Meats – This sauce includes a variety of meats including pancetta, ground beef, ground pork, and crumbled sweet Italian sausage.
- Aromatics (Vegetables) – You’ll make an soffrito of minced leeks, carrots, celery, and garlic.
- Seasonings – This sauce has incredible flavor thanks to the addition of fresh or dried sage, rosemary, and parsley, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, bay leaves, and nutmeg.
- Parmesan Rind – Optional but highly recommended, this adds great flavor to the sauce.
- Dairy – Half and half (sold in some markets, this is made from half whole milk and half light cream) or heavy cream, butter, Parmesan and Mascarpone cheese.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Chicken Stock – Use homemade chicken stock if you can, or a quality canned or boxed stock.
- Pasta – We served our White Bolognese over tagliatelle but any favorite pasta shape works as well.
Cooking Tips & Tricks
- Low and slow cooking wins the race (so to speak) with this sauce. Don’t try to rush the end results by increasing the heat. The meats and vegetables simply need the full cooking time with the milk or cream to become tender and achieve the classic bolognese texture. The flavors also need the long simmer to fully develop.
- This recipe can easily be cut in half for fewer portions. However – since this sauce takes some time to cook, we suggest that you make the full batch. Eat some and freeze some for a future meal or recipe. (We have a White Bolognese Lasagna recipe coming soon!)
White Bolognese
White Bolognese has a variety of meats, sausage, and vegetables that are slow-simmered in stock and cream to create a sauce that is silky and tender.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 hours
- Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
- Yield: 12 servings 1x
- Category: sauce
- Method: simmer
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 ounces diced pancetta
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 cups diced leeks (about two small/medium leeks), rinsed and cleaned of sand
1 cup carrots, diced
1 cup celery, diced
2 tablespoons fresh garlic, minced
1 1/2 pounds 90/10 ground beef
1 pound ground pork
1/2 pound sweet Italian sausage, removed from casings
1 pinch red pepper flakes
1/4 cup white wine
3 cups chicken stock, homemade if possible
Fresh rosemary from two medium stems, chopped (or 2 teaspoons dried rosemary)
5 large fresh sage leaves, chopped (or 2 teaspoons dried sage leaves)
1/4 cup fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley, chopped (or 2 tablespoons dried parsley)
1 medium Parmesan rind (optional)
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (or same amount of already-ground nutmeg)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 bay leaves
2 cups half and half or heavy cream
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
8 ounces Mascarpone cheese
1 pound fresh or dry pasta (we used Tagliatelle)
Instructions
- In a 6-quart Dutch oven with a lid, heat olive oil over medium heat and once hot, add pancetta. Cook until crisp, about five minutes.
- Add butter and once melted, add leeks, celery, carrots and garlic and cook for five minutes.
- Add ground beef, ground pork, Italian sausage, and red pepper flakes. Cook until meat is no longer pink, about 15 minutes.
- Add white wine to deglaze. Once the wine evaporates, add the stock, rosemary, sage, parsley, Parmesan rind (if using), nutmeg, salt, black pepper, and bay leaves.
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Add in the cream and bring to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer with the lid partially open. Cook for two hours, stirring every 30 minutes.
- Remove the bay leaves and Parmesan rind and discard.
- Stir in the grated Parmesan and Mascarpone cheeses.
- Taste and add more salt and pepper, as needed.
- Cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain.
- Toss pasta with enough sauce for the number of servings you need.
- Serve with more Parmesan cheese on top.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can I made White Bolognese ahead of time? Definitely! This sauce takes two hours to simmer so you’ll want to plan ahead for that. Cook the pasta just before serving, however.
- How do I store leftovers? Store leftovers in the refrigerator in a covered container for up to three days.
- How do I reheat leftovers? Reheat individual portions in the microwave or reheat more of the sauce in a saucepan with a little additional cream or stock.
- Can I freeze the leftovers? Yes, the sauce can be frozen for up to four months, but not the cooked pasta. We use a vacuum sealer to bag up portions, but a zipper seal freezer bag will also work. Just be sure to squeeze out as much air as possible to avoid freezer burn.
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