The Best Homemade Bolognese
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This shortcut bolognese comes together so easily in less than 1 hour, skipping that all-day simmer. And it freezes and reheats like a dream!
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Why you’ll love homemade bolognese
- An absolute 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 pasta. 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. Bolognese freezes and reheats like a dream, perfect to have in your back pocket as your go-to quick dinner during those busy weeknights. All you have to do is boil some pasta noodles prior to serving.
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.
How to make homemade bolognese
- Soften the vegetables. Cook the onion, carrot, and celery in a Dutch oven over medium heat, stirring until tender.
- Brown the meat. Add the ground beef, ground pork, pancetta, salt, and pepper, crumbling the beef and pork with a wooden spoon until it is browned.
- Add the aromatics. Stir in the tomato paste, garlic, oregano, red pepper flakes, nutmeg, and cinnamon until fragrant.
- Deglaze the pot. Stir in the red wine, lifting up the caramelized brown bits (fond) stuck to the bottom of the pot.
- Add the milk. Pour in the milk (to tenderize the meat), then reduce the heat and simmer until the liquid reduces, about 5 minutes.
- Simmer. Stir in the crushed tomatoes, then bring the mixture to a gentle boil. Cover the pot with a lid and simmer gently for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Boil the pasta. Cook some wide ribbon pasta (such as tagliatelle or pappardelle) in boiling salted water according to package instructions, draining well.
- Finish and serve. Stir in the parsley, and season one last time with salt and pepper. Toss the cooked pasta directly in the pot of sauce until evenly coated, and serve warm.
Storing, freezing, and reheating
Storage
Leftover bolognese can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Reheating
Gently reheat on the stovetop with a splash of water, stirring often, until warmed through, about 10 minutes.
Freezing
Let cool completely; portion into individual freezer bags, squeezing out any excess air before sealing. Lay the bags flat in a single layer in the freezer (this will help them freeze quickly). Label, date, and freeze up to 3 months.
Reheating after freezing
To reheat, thaw overnight in the fridge and gently reheat over low heat with a splash of water, stirring often, until heated through.
Tools For This Recipe
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.
Bolognese is typically served with wide pasta such as tagliatelle, pappardelle, or fettuccine.
Polenta, gnocchi, and baked potatoes are all excellent options.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Yes, bolognese is very freezer-friendly and can keep in the freezer for at least 3 months!
The Best Homemade Bolognese
Video
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
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.
Equipment
Notes
- Use a blend of beef and pork. Pork has a higher fat content than lean beef, keeping the meat moist and tender during the simmering process.
- Tomato paste adds so much flavor. Tomato paste adds body and richness in small amounts without adding too much liquid to the sauce. Opt for tomato paste in a tube, using up only what you need at a time without having to open up a whole can.
- 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.
- Flat pasta is ideal. 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 or garlic knots for dipping, sopping and dunking.
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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).