Pasta Bolognese
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Few dishes are as comforting and satisfying as a hearty bowl of pasta Bolognese. With layers of rich, savory flavor, it’s a dish that never disappoints.
Pasta Bolognese is a classic Italian dish that hails from Bologna, and it’s a Sunday night staple in my house—perfect for cozy family dinners. As the sauce simmers away, filling the house with its rich aroma, it’s only a matter of time before the sharks start circling the kitchen, asking, “When’s dinner?”
Unlike a typical meat sauce that leans heavily on tomatoes, ragù alla Bolognese (Bolognese sauce) develops its deep, complex flavor from pancetta, plenty of veggies, broth, wine, and a touch of milk. It’s traditionally served with wide, flat noodles like tagliatelle or fettuccine, which hold the sauce beautifully. But it’s also fantastic layered into lasagna or spooned over your favorite pasta shape. For an extra special touch, try making homemade pasta or pick up some fresh noodles from the store—it’s an easy way to take this dish up a notch.
“My whole family loves this sauce. It’s rich and full of flavor and so easy for weekday or weekend.”
What You’ll Need To Make Pasta Bolognese
- Onions, Carrots, Celery, Garlic: Form the flavor base of the sauce.
- Ground Beef: The heart of the sauce—bringing richness, texture, and that classic meaty flavor.
- Pancetta: This Italian bacon adds a rich, meaty flavor to the sauce. Unlike American bacon, it’s cured with salt and spices and then dried, not smoked. You can usually find it in the deli section or pre-cut in the refrigerated gourmet foods aisle—perfect for saving time.
- Red Wine: A good dry red, like Chianti, Barolo, or Sangiovese, adds acidity and depth to the sauce—and pairs perfectly with the finished dish. But really, any dry red you enjoy, such as Pinot Noir, Merlot, or Cabernet Sauvignon, will work. Just skip the supermarket cooking wine; it’s loaded with salt and additives.
- Beef Broth: Provides additional meaty flavor and richness, while also adding moisture.
- Canned Crushed Tomatoes: Forms the tomato base of the sauce, contributing sweetness and tanginess; it also thickens the sauce.
- Whole Milk: Softens the acidity from the tomatoes and wine while adding a creamy richness.
- Pasta: The classic pasta choice is tagliatelle, a wide, flat egg noodle that holds the sauce well. Other traditional options include pappardelle and fettuccine, but any pasta shape will work! Fresh or homemade pasta is especially delicious—and it cooks faster than dried pasta.
- Oregano and Basil: Herbs that add aromatic freshness to the sauce.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Start by chopping the veggies—I like to use a food processor to make things quick and easy. First, add the onions to the bowl and pulse until they’re finely chopped but not puréed. Scoop them into a bowl, then toss the carrots, celery, and garlic into the processor and pulse until finely chopped. Alternatively, you can chop everything by hand.
Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy pot over medium-high heat, then add the onion and veggie mixture. Cook, stirring often, until everything is soft, about 8 minutes. If the veggies start to brown too quickly, just lower the heat a bit.
Add the ground beef, pancetta, salt and pepper.
Cook over medium-high heat, stirring and breaking up meat with a wooden spoon, until meat is no longer pink, 5 to 10 minutes.
Add red wine and cook until almost evaporated, then stir in the broth, crushed tomatoes, and oregano.
Bring the mixture to a gentle boil, then turn the heat down to low. Cover the pot with the lid slightly ajar and let it simmer for about 1 hour and 30 minutes. After that, stir in the milk and let it all come together.
Simmer until milk is absorbed, about 35 minutes. If the sauce looks greasy, use a soup spoon to skim the fat off of the top. Bolognese sauce can be made up to 3 days ahead of time or frozen for up to 3 months.
When you’re ready to serve, cook the pasta according to the package instructions.
Drain the noodles, reserving 1 cup of the pasta water. Toss the pasta with the sauce, adding the reserved pasta water little by little if the pasta seems dry. Divide the pasta into serving bowls and pass the grated Parmesan cheese at the table.
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Pasta Bolognese
This pasta Bolognese recipe is your ticket to a cozy, satisfying meal that the whole family will love.
Ingredients
- 2 medium yellow onions, peeled and chopped into 1-inch chunks
- 2 carrots, peeled and chopped into 1-inch chunks
- 2 celery stalks, cut into 1-inch chunks
- 3 cloves garlic, very roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1⅓ pounds ground beef (85% lean)
- 4 ounces pancetta, finely diced
- 1 teaspoon salt (plus more for pasta water)
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ cup dry red wine
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1 (14-oz) can crushed tomatoes (about 1¾ cups)
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 pound pasta, for serving
- Handful chopped fresh basil or parsley, for serving (optional)
- Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Place the onions in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Pulse until very finely chopped but not puréed. Transfer the onions to a separate bowl, then add the carrots, celery, and garlic to the food processor. Pulse until finely chopped.
- Heat the oil in a large heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the finely chopped onions and vegetable mixture and cook, stirring frequently, until soft, 8 to 10 minutes. Lower the heat if the vegetables start to brown.
- Add the ground beef, pancetta, salt, and pepper and cook over medium-high heat, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until the meat is no longer pink, 5 to 10 minutes.
- Add the wine and cook until it is almost evaporated, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add the broth, crushed tomatoes and oregano. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover with the lid slightly ajar and simmer for 1 hour and 30 minutes.
- Add the milk to the sauce and stir to combine. Cover with the lid slightly ajar and simmer until the milk is absorbed and the meat is tender, about 35 minutes. If the sauce looks greasy, use a soup spoon to skim the fat off of the top. Remove the pan from the heat and cover to keep warm while you make the pasta.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to package instructions. Before straining, ladle out 1 cup of the pasta water into a bowl or measuring cup and set aside. Drain the pasta, then add to the sauce. Toss with tongs, adding the reserved pasta water little by little if the pasta seems dry. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper if necessary. Divide the pasta into serving bowls and sprinkle with fresh herbs, if using. Pass the grated Parmigiano Reggiano at the table.
- Note: I like the Buitoni brand of fresh pasta sold in the refrigerator case at most supermarkets for this recipe. It cooks quickly and tastes great. (But don't worry if you can't find it; any pasta will work well.)
- Make-Ahead Instructions: The sauce can be made up to 3 days ahead of time. Let it cool to room temperature and then store in a covered container in the refrigerator. Reheat over medium-low heat on the stovetop before serving.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The sauce can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop until hot.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (6 servings)
- Calories: 717
- Fat: 30 g
- Saturated fat: 10 g
- Carbohydrates: 71 g
- Sugar: 10 g
- Fiber: 5 g
- Protein: 36 g
- Sodium: 910 mg
- Cholesterol: 85 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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What can I use if I don’t have a food processor?
Hi Becky, You can chop by hand.
Hi, I was wondering what kind of dry red wine to use? I’m not particularly familiar with any kind of good cooking red wine. Please help. Much is appreciated.
Hi Ollie, You could use a Pinot Noir, Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon, to name just a few 🙂
This recipe looks so good! I’m planning on cooking it this Friday. But I don’t have any fresh fettucini at any of my grocery store. Is it possible to just use the box fettucini from the shelf? Please help. Thank you!
Yes, absolutely — it will still be delicious!
Hi Jenn,
Thank-you for sharing all your yummy recipes! I’d like to make your Bolognese and I’m wondering, could the this be made ahead of time with egg noodles and baked in the oven as a hot dish before serving?
Hi Jill, Yes, I think that will work well. Enjoy 🙂
This recipe was AWESOME! I had never made a Bolognese sauce before, but I certainly will make this again. This recipe makes a LOT of sauce – probably enough for two pounds of pasta. Next time, I’ll either halve the recipe, or freeze half the sauce for another day.
First of all you have over sauced this dish like a true rich American. The sauce is a condiment like catsup or mustered on a hamburger. Dried oregano in Bolognese sauce give me a break. You people are so not Italian the sauce is made with 1/3 veal, lb pork, lb beef and pancetta ground together. It does not have crushed tomatoes only a small amount of true Italian tomato paste. The celery is rare but not uncommon and the red wine is uncommon as white wine is traditionally used in Bologna. Your finished dish is red as a beet but the color should be an orange or dark pinkish orange.
To reviewer Scott Walden:
At first, I wasn’t going to dignify you’re unwarranted and abusive review, but it begged a response. The beauty and fun of cooking is that you don’t have to stick to tradition and/or the recipe. You’re free to experiment and wind up with a great, signature dish. You’re rude, insulting and totally miss the spirit of cooking. You’re presumptuous, too. Not all Americans are rich.
Good for Vicki plum. …Scott is just an ass.
Well said, Gilly! 😀
Well put, Chris, thanks! 😀
To reviewer Scott Walden. Like Vickiplum at first I was going to ignore your review, but then the irony of your comments hit me. So to your comments I say if you are such a expert in how to prepare Italian cuisine, why not use your energy doing something useful, rather than insulting someone who is helping others build their confidence in the kitchen. Food, is best prepared and digested in a positive environment. You aren’t welcome here!
I just stumbled on this recipe and was excited to try another one of Jenn’s creations so I set about reading the reviews. It’s simmering for the first 45 minutes as I type, so I can’t really review the recipe yet. My son keeps telling me the house smells amazing though. Scott, I appreciate that you have a subjective opinion as to how this recipe can be made but I can not relate to the unkind method by which you share your “expertise”. Most of us busy women and men who look forward to Jenn’s emails every few weeks do so not just because she has some terrific recipes, but because she is kind, caring and helpful. I hope at some point since you posted your unnecessarily harsh and vituperative comments, you have had some sort of epiphany about your review. My suspicion is that Jenn would be gracious enough to receive your apology but that you wouldn’t be man enough to offer one.
Scott, why are you even on this site and cooking this if you are such an expert on making true Italian Bolognese sauce? i have a lot of Italians cookbooks and look at Italians recipes on the web all the time, the Bolognese recipes are all slightly different. In fact the one Giada has in her cookbook has even more tomatoes in it and huuum let me think; she is Italian!! All great recipes have variations. This is delicious and you can always substitute white wine or tomato paste if you prefer. What I love about Jenn’s recipes is they are easy to follow and always delicious. I have turned so many people on to her and they love her recipes. Enjoy everyone.
Hi – first of all, kudos for getting right one thing most get wrong: bolognese is born as a sauce for fettuccine, NOT spaghetti. People in Bologna use tomato sauce on spaghetti, strange as it may seem. And your recipe for the sauce is the real thing (the only difference with the traditional one being the substitution of red wine for white). Only, as you found out yourself, it is a bit on the greasy side (as most of the cuisine in the area around Bologna), so at home we skip milk and cream altogether and use ground bologna instead of pancetta.
At any rate, it is refreshing to find someone who understand that the key to Italian cuisine (to any good one, in truth) is simplicity – I’ve found on the net many a travesty.
Keep up the good work!
(Uh, I forgot but probably you guessed it: I live not too far from Bologna…….)
Does this sauce freeze well? I would like to make it for two and save the rest. What do you think about adding mushrooms?
Hi Tori, Yes and yes 🙂
Hi jenn,
I don’t use alcohol in my cooking, so was wondering how to make this without it. Is there anything I can substitute for this?
Hi Sandi, You can add more beef broth instead of the wine. Hope it turns out 🙂
This is a classic. I love this recipe and have made it several times. Absolutely delicious!