Easy Rigatoni Alla Bolognese
Whip up my favorite Easy Rigatoni Alla Bolognese, a hearty one-pot meal combining tender rigatoni pasta with a rich and savory meat sauce. Perfect for a family dinner, this delicious dish is not just satisfying but also incredibly easy to prepare.
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 322kcal
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
- 1 lb rigatoni pasta or penne
- Parmigiano Reggiano grated (for serving)
Instructions
Make the Bolognese sauce:
- 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 the sauce 1-3 days ahead of time. When the sauce is ready, remove the bay leaf.
- 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.
Cook the rigatoni:
- Cook pasta: When the sauce is ready, cook up the pasta following time on the package. Cook the pasta to al dente. Set a timer and check the pasta a minute before it's supposed to be ready.
- Serve: If the sauce has cooled down, heat up the sauce. Drain the pasta and combine with the sauce. You could scoop out some sauce to serve as extra for anyone that likes more sauce. If it's too thick, add in a little bit of the starchy pasta water to loosen it up. Plate up portions of the pasta and sauce and sprinkle on some grated Parmigiana Reggiano. ENJOY!
Notes
- Meat: Feel free to use pork and ground beef, but I used only ground beef. It is traditional for Bolognese to have beef and pork.
- Bouillon: Optional: when I remember, I add a spoonful of bouillon paste (vegetable or beef), or you could add a bouillon cube. It adds an extra dimension of flavor.
- Canned tomatoes: Look for a very good quality San Marzano DOP tomato or tomato passata. Always best to use the a very good quality tomatoes. There is no need to add sugar to this sauce when you use the right tomatoes.
- Tomato paste: If you have it in your pantry, you could 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: Bolognese does get better the longer it simmers and I simmer mine for 2 hours, sometimes longer. But most times, I let it simmer away in my slow cooker. It tastes even better the next day!
- Make extra: I do advise to double the recipe. It's nice to freeze a portion and have it on hand for when you're craving a delicious homemade Bolognese sauce!
Nutrition
Calories: 322kcal | Carbohydrates: 56g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Sodium: 5mg | Potassium: 169mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 1IU | Vitamin C: 0.01mg | Calcium: 16mg | Iron: 1mg