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Bolognese is a rich and luscious meat sauce that’s cooked low and slow on the stove. A combination of ground beef and pork, vegetables, San Marzano tomatoes, and milk all cook together into a silky texture with amazing flavor.
What is Bolognese?
A Bolognese is a classic Italian meat and tomato sauce that is cooked low and slow on the stovetop.
It achieves an amazing depth of flavor by adding and cooking the ingredients in steps, so each ingredient has the chance to cook and caramelize to develop its full flavor. You don’t want to just combine everything all at once in the pot.
The easy steps include browning finely-chopped vegetables until lightly caramelized, along with fresh garlic and some seasonings. Then, both ground beef and pork get added to the vegetables and cooked until no longer pink.
Next, deglaze the pan with white wine – scraping up all of the delicious bits on the bottom of the pan, and stirring and simmering until the liquid from the wine has evaporated.
Finally, add canned San Marzano tomatoes (the best kind of tomatoes to use when making any Italian sauce). Break up or mash the tomatoes into small pieces, then add some tomato paste, water, some milk.
At this point, your Bolognese will simmer for three hours – uncovered – so the liquids reduce, and the flavors really concentrate. This long, slow simmering step also makes the meat incredibly tender.
To finish the sauce, you’ll add a little more tomato paste and also some butter to smooth things out. Then, serve your Bolognese over pasta or make our incredible Lasagna Bolognese!
Is Bolognese the same as Ragù?
A bolognese also varies from a ragù or a meat sauce in that it has dairy added – such as milk or cream (or both) – which tenderizes the meat as it cooks, giving the sauce a very tender texture and a mild flavor.
Why You’ll Love Bolognese
- The deep, rich flavors and super tender texture of Bolognese is world famous!
- You can serve this sauce in a variety of ways – over pasta or in a lasagna, just to name a few.
- This sauce freezes well – so cook up a big pot and enjoy some now and freeze some for later.
Key Ingredients & Substitutions
- Vegetables – You’ll include a variety of vegetables including carrots, yellow onion, celery (also known as a soffritto in Italian cuisine), plus fresh garlic.
- Meat – We like a mix of ground chuck and ground pork in Bolognese. You can buy your own chuck and pork and grind it yourself or buy pre-ground. If you can’t find packages labeled ground chuck, buy 80/20 ground beef – the extra fat in this mix adds flavor. You can also add ground veal
- Seasonings – Kosher salt, black pepper, and nutmeg.
- Tomatoes – Canned, whole, peeled San Marzano tomatoes are the gold standard for an Italian tomato sauce – so look specifically for this variety of tomatoes. (We like Cento or Pastene brands.) You’ll also add tomato paste to the sauce.
- White Wine – Any drinkable white wine is fine. If you prefer not to cook with alcohol, some chicken stock can be swapped in.
- Water
- Whole Milk – The milk fat in whole milk helps tenderize the meat in this sauce, plus it adds a silky texture too. You can swap in a cream with more milk fat, but we don’t recommend a lower fat milk – it just won’t give you the same luxurious texture.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Unsalted Butter
- Pasta – Tagliatelle is traditional for serving with Bolognese, but any thick or sturdy pasta will also work.
- Parmesan Cheese – For serving.
Special Tools You’ll Need
- Large Dutch Oven or Heavy-Bottomed Pot – To cook the Bolognese
- Cutting Board and Sharp Knife
- Meat Grinder – (Optional) If you plan to grind your own beef and pork for this recipe.
- Various Measuring Cups and Spoons
- Kitchen Scale – To weigh the meat.
- Large Fork or Potato Masher – To crush the canned tomatoes.
- Large Wooden Spoon
- Large Pot – To cook the pasta.
- Cheese Grater
How do I make Bolognese sauce?
- Saute the carrots, onion, and celery in butter and olive oil. Then add garlic and spices.
- Add the beef and pork and cook until no longer pink.
- Deglaze the pan with white wine.
- Add canned tomatoes and crush with a large fork or a potato masher.
- Stir in half of the tomato paste.
- Add water and milk and simmer for three hours uncovered.
- Stir in the remaining tomato paste.
- Skim off and discard any fat that floats to the top of the sauce. Then, stir in the remaining butter.
- Cook pasta, drain, and toss with a few ladles of the sauce.
- Serve individual portions of pasta topped with more Bolognese and grated Parmesan cheese.
Cooking Tip
After skimming off the fat that floats to the top of the sauce with a spoon, press a few paper towels onto the surface to soak up any residual fat.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can I make Bolognese ahead of time? Yes, this can be prepared ahead and heated once the pasta is cooked.
- How do I store leftovers? Store refrigerated for up to three days.
- How do I reheat leftovers? Reheat on the stove top or the microwave.
- Can I freeze? Yes, freeze in zipper seal bags with the air squeezed out.
- Can I make Bolognese in a Slow Cooker or Instant Pot? No – not if you want fully developed flavor and the proper texture. Our recipe is not intended for any other cooking methods other than simmering on a stovetop.
Bolognese originally appeared on A Family Feast in December 2015 as part of a sponsored post for Anolon. We’ve updated the post, photos, and recipe to make it even better!
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Bolognese
Bolognese is a rich and luscious meat sauce that’s cooked low and slow on the stove. A combination of ground beef and pork, vegetables, San Marzano tomatoes, and milk all cook together into a silky texture with amazing flavor.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons butter, divided
1 1/2 cups yellow onion, diced small
1 1/2 cups carrot, diced small
1 1/2 cups celery, diced small
2 tablespoons fresh garlic, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
3 pounds ground chuck
1 pound ground pork
1 cup white wine
1 28-ounce can whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes (we used Cento brand)
4 tablespoons tomato paste, divided
2 cups water
1 1/2 cups whole milk
Grated Parmesan cheese, for serving
1 pound pasta (Tagliatelle pasta is traditional but any sturdy pasta is fine)
Instructions
- In a six-quart Dutch oven or other heavy bottomed pot, over medium high heat, add the olive oil and two tablespoons of butter.
- Once the butter has melted, add the onion, carrot, and celery, and cook until slightly soft, about 3-4 minutes.
- Stir in garlic, salt, pepper, and nutmeg and cook for one minute.
- Add ground chuck and ground pork and cook until no longer pink, about five minutes.
- Add white wine and cook to evaporate, about five minutes.
- Add the can of whole peeled tomatoes and crush the tomatoes with a large fork or a potato masher.
- Stir in two tablespoons of tomato paste.
- Stir in the water and milk and bring to a boil then reduce to low and cook uncovered for three hours, stirring every now and then to avoid sticking.
- After three hours, stir in the last two tablespoons of tomato paste and let the pot sit for a few minutes so the fat will rise to the top then skim it off and discard. Place a few paper towels over the surface to absorb any remaining fat.
- Stir in the last two tablespoons of butter.
- Cook the pasta, per box directions, and drain, then place back into the pot.
- Stir in a few ladles of the sauce to coat the pasta.
- Serve portions with additional sauce and freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
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