The Best Homemade Bolognese
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THE VERY best (freezer-friendly) bolognese sauce! So rich, so hearty, so perfect. Serve over pasta or gnocchi!
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It’s cold. It’s snowing. And it’s parka season. Which can only mean one thing. It’s time to stay in with the heartiest, meatiest bolognese sauce tossed in al dente pappardelle pasta, some crusty bread, and a glass of (the leftover) wine.
what is bolognese
Bolognese is a meat-based pasta sauce, typically made by cooking ground beef or pork, onions, carrots, celery and milk, simmered until thickened and served with flat pasta or spaghetti. Some recipes will include red or white wine. Red wine will add richness and robustness whereas white wine will add a fruity flavor.
ragu vs. bolognese
Ragu
Ragu is an Italian meat sauce, slow cooked over low heat, and is traditionally served over pasta. Ragu includes meat sauces from various regions.
Bolognese
Bolognese is a type of ragu originating from Bologna, Italy.
reasons to make homemade bolognese
- Weeknight hero. Don’t have hours and hours to simmer? We got you covered. This shortcut bolognese is truly weeknight-friendly with all there is to love about traditional bolognese made in just a fraction of the time (less than 60 minutes from start to finish).
- Restaurant quality. This homemade bolognese is rich, comforting and 100% restaurant-worthy. Not only is the quick cook time great for busy weeknights, but this is also perfect for weekend company and big family gatherings.
- Very freezer-friendly. This recipe can easily be doubled and frozen as needed, reheating very well and making this perfect for your go-to weeknight meals. All you have to do is boil some pasta noodles prior to serving. Easy!
tips and tricks for success
- Use a combination of beef and pork. Pork has a higher fat content, keeping the meat moist, tender, juicier and more flavorful.
- Choose a wine you will drink. A medium- to full-bodied red wine (chianti, shiraz or syrah) is great here – it does not have to be anything fancy or overpriced. Just something you don’t mind sipping on since you will have an open bottle.
- Use whole milk. Whole milk is a key ingredient in bolognese. The dairy helps cut down the acidity of the red wine and tomatoes, tenderizes the meat, and yields a rich, creamy sauce. A low-fat alternative will result in a lighter sauce. Substituting a plant-based milk is not recommended.
- Use flat pasta. Flat pasta such as tagliatelle, pappardelle or fettuccine have surface area to effectively hold up chunky meat sauce. Rigatoni is also a great option as its ridges are sturdy enough to hold up a meaty sauce.
- Sauce the pasta. Add the pasta directly to the pot of bolognese sauce, tossing and coating well. This is key for saucing the pasta, ensuring that the sauce clings to the pasta and absorbs all the flavors.
- Serve with crusty bread. Serve with all the homemade crusty bread for dipping, sopping and dunking!
Tools For This Recipe
Dutch oven
The Best Homemade Bolognese: Frequently Asked Questions
Both red or white wine are great, but each wine will yield different flavors. Red wine is a bit more prominent and will impart more flavor into the sauce than white wine.
The red wine in bolognese adds richness and depth, but beef stock can be used for red wine as a non-alcoholic substitute. Stock will be less acidic and more mild in flavor than red wine.
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Yes! Bolognese is very freezer-friendly. Let cool completely; portion into plastic freezer bags in individual servings, squeezing out any excess air before sealing. Lay the bags flat in a single layer in the freezer (this will help them freeze quickly). To reheat, thaw overnight in the fridge, reheating over low heat, stirring occasionally, until heated through.
The Best Homemade Bolognese
Ingredients
- 1 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 medium sweet onion, diced
- 1 carrot, peeled and diced
- 1 celery rib, diced
- ¾ pound ground beef
- ¾ pound ground pork
- 4 ounces pancetta, diced
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¾ cups dry red wine
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 (15-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
- 1 pound pappardelle pasta
Equipment
Instructions
- Melt butter in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, carrot and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 3-4 minutes.
- Add ground beef, ground pork, pancetta, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Cook until browned, about 5-8 minutes, making sure to crumble the beef and pork as it cooks; drain excess fat.
- Stir in tomato paste, garlic, oregano, red pepper flakes, nutmeg and cinnamon until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Stir in wine, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
- Stir in milk. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until reduced, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in crushed tomatoes. Bring to boil; reduce heat and simmer, covered and stirring occasionally, until thickened and flavors have blended, about 20 minutes.
- Stir in parsley; season with salt and pepper, to taste.*
- In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions; drain well.
- Serve immediately with bolognese sauce.
Video
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
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don’t cover it while reducing!! like this recipe says but otherwise great recipe. I think it was a typo and should say “uncovered”
I have made this many times and it is delicious! House favourite! I was wondering if possible to do this recipe in the slow cooker or if amendments would need to be made.
Amazing. This website never lets me down.
I’m excited to try this recipe, it looks so good! Do you happen to know the nutritional information breakdown of this recipe?
Another damn delicious win! I haven’t tried a single recipe from your blog that wasn’t amazing!! I did brown the pancetta first and then drained the fat, and started the recipe as listed.
This so much like the authentic recipe I’ve always made. It is so delicious. I added a splash of aged balsamic in and also I’ve found that a good flavored wine is key here. I love black box cabernet sauvignon. But also my original recipe called for slow simmer for about 2 hours before the milk is added to meld all the beautiful flavors together.(almost like beef bourguignon). Fresh Parmigiano shavings on top and wow! Nothing better! Bon Appetito!
Really Good!!! Next time, I want to try to throw in the pancetta first to crisp a little bit because I feel like more flavor would come out of it that way opposite to throwing it in with the other meat because it remained soft. But delicious- thanks!
How about half and half instead of whole milk?
This is the ultimate bolognese recipe. I’ve made Marcella Hazan’s and love that as well. But this is more intensely flavored, takes significantly less time, and I just can’t get enough of it. Everyone I’ve ever served it to has raved. I miss it immediately after taking my last bite. I follow the recipe exactly as written. If I’m not ready to serve after it’s simmered for 20 minutes I just put the lid on until ready to serve.
This version of bolognese was a big hit with our family. I used peppered turkey bacon instead of pancetta and topped off each serving with a touch of olive oil.
Just made this as written…. It’s sooooo good. yum!
Great recipe.
If you invest another 30 minutes and let the carrots, onion and celery somer alone in a bit of water first, you’ll get an even deeper flavor.
Mmmmm. This is SO good. Thank you for this recipe. We loved it.
Ooooh, would love to try this but my husband can’t have the milk. Could I substitute with something else or just leave it out?
I’ve made bolognese with milk, ricemilk, oatmilk, cream, lactose free milk and all works nicely; the important thing is the fats that help tender the meat.. the lactose though helps with sweetening the sauce and balancing the acidity of the tomatoes, although that isn’t very important as long as you reduce the soffrito with wine/beer.
Also abuntant amounts of freshly grated quality parmeggiano.
I haven’t tried this, but it reminds me of Marcella Hazen’s Bolognese sauce. So it must be good!!!
Marcella’s is just wonderful. However, switches steps 4 and 5.
I love this recipe! We make it for every special occasion. Easy, rich. Try it over focaccia bread. Heavenly.
Your close with this recipe, now try it with Porcini mushrooms, you won’t believe the difference, old Italian woman told me a secret about them. This is very close to mine, but I let it spend the day in the oven, brown the burger alone, then pulse it in a food processor to make it a little more fine.
Do you mean porcini mushrooms INSTEAD of meat or in ADDITION to the meat.
Chungah, can I use beef broth instead of the red wine?
Beef broth is for the end process, added when needed to be able to cook for long enough. Wine is for sweetness to the meat and for countering the acidity of tomatoes. You could use beer, alcohol free stuff nd even sugar for that matter. Wine gives the best most complex flavor (and the alcohol is gone through the reduction process).