Bolognese Sauce (Ragù Alla Bolognese)

5 from 5 vote

Bolognese Sauce (Ragù Alla Bolognese)

This rich and authentic Traditional Bolognese Sauce (Ragù alla Bolognese) is made with fresh ingredients and simmered low and slow. Serve with fresh Tagliatelle or even Rigatoni for a true Italian classic!

Prep Time10

Cook Time2

Total Time2 8

Course: Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: meat sauce, Sauce

Servings: servings

Calories: 234kcal

Author: Lora

Equipment

1 large sauce pan

Ingredients

2 Tablespoon olive oil extra virgin
2 carrots peeled finely chopped (~ 1 cup)
2 celery stalks finely chopped (~ 1 cup)
1 medium onion finely chopped
1 pound ground beef chuck 20% fat (you could also use ½ ground beef and ½ ground pork)
½ cup white or red wine use a wine you would actually drink
1 teaspoon dried sage I used fresh sage from my garden
1 teaspoon dried rosemary I used fresh rosemary from my garden
1 dried bay leaf
1 28- ounce can San Marzano plum tomatoes pureed (or 1 jar of tomato passata)
1 teaspoon sea salt add more to your taste
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper add more to your taste

Instructions

Sauté: In a medium size saucepan or a Dutch oven, heat the oil on medium heat. Add the soffritto (carrots, celery, and onions) and cook for about 7 minutes, until the vegetables soften (you aren't browning them). Add a pinch of salt and black pepper.
Cook beef: Add in the ground beef (you could do ground beef and ground pork). Break up any large lumps and cook until the meat is no longer pink, about 10 minutes. If you would like to use diced pancetta, add that in now (totally optional). Keep stirring frequently. Add in the herbs and stir to combine. Season with salt and black pepper.
Reduce wine: Add in the wine and stir to combine. Let the wine reduce.
Add tomatoes: Stir in the tomato sauce and cook over medium low heat until the sauce thickens, which could take 2-3 hours, stirring every 20 minutes. Make sure the sauce is not boiling, it's supposed to be a low simmer. Check the flavor and season with a bit of salt and pepper, if needed. Don't forget to keep coming back to check the sauce and stir so the sauce doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan. Also, it may be thickening up and you'll have to add some water to it to loosen it up a bit. I simmer my ragu (Bolognese sauce/meat sauce) for about 2 hours. You could make this a day ahead.
Optional: After you've added in the tomatoes, you could transfer the sauce to a slow-cooker and let it simmer on high for 3 hours or low for 6 hours.
Serve: When the sauce is ready, remove the bay leaf. Heat the sauce and serve over cooked pasta. ENJOY!

Notes

Meat: I used only ground beef. If you want to add in some ground pork, you could replace half the ground beef with the pork. It is traditional for Bolognese to have beef and pork.
Bouillon: I sometimes add a spoonful of the bouillon paste, or you could add a bouillon cube. This is optional. And I don't always remember to do this step. But it does add an extra dimension of flavor that I do really enjoy.
Canned tomatoes: Look for a very good quality San Marzano DOP tomato or tomato passata. The better the quality of the tomatoes, the better the flavor. And you will NOT need to add in any sugar to the sauce.
Tomato paste: If you have tomato paste on hand, go ahead and add a tablespoon to the sauce.
Slow cooker: There is the option to cook it in the slow cooker. Follow the recipe until the part when you add in the tomatoes, and add it all into the slow cooker. Let it simmer on low for 6 hours.
Simmer: Remember that Bolognese does get better the longer it simmers. It tastes even better the next day!
Make extra: The sauce will disappear quickly! TRUST ME! You're going through all the trouble to make it, go ahead and double it. You can freeze one portion of it to use another time.

Nutrition