Rich and meaty Bolognese Sauce is perfect to serve over your favorite pasta. Bolognese Sauce is a meat based Italian sauce made with vegetables, wine, milk, and a combination beef and pork. This classic sauce takes a couple of hours to prepare but worth every single minute put into it. For easy weeknight dinner, prepare this sauce ahead of time and freeze it in portions.
BOLOGNESE SAUCE
My family still asks “what is Bolognese sauce, again?” almost every time I make it. Simply put, Bolognese is an Italian meat sauce often served with thick, flat pasta like fettuccine. Many people also know it as “ragù” or “ragù bolognese.”
This sauce originated in the Bologna region of Italy and over time, as it became popular in other parts of the world, it became more known as Bolognese sauce. The Bolognese Sauce we are more familiar with has a thicker tomato base than the original ragù but is still packed with meats, traditional vegetables, and milk.
Bolognese is not a quick sauce you can whip up on a Monday night, it does demand a couple of hours of slow cooking to be the best. Even though it will take a while to cook, I guarantee that every minute of effort put into the sauce is worth it. It will become your favorite way to eat pasta after the first bite.
Great news is that you can make the sauce ahead of time and freeze some of it to use later in the week or on a busy day.
WHAT GOES INTO BOLOGNESE SAUCE
Meats – Use a combination of ground beef and ground pork in the Bolognese sauce. Pick ground beef that has a little fat content in it, like the 85/15 meat to fat ratio. I do not drain off the liquid as the meat cooks because that liquid has so much flavor in it.
Vegetables – Bolognese sauce starts with what’s called “soffritto,” which is a trio of onions, celery, and carrots that is at the base of many sauces and soups.
Tomatoes – Even though original ragù had a light amount of tomato sauce, Bolognese sauce that we know today has a heavy base of tomatoes and tomato paste. Use both crushed tomatoes and tomato paste to give a deep tomato flavor, acidity, and some sweetness.
Wine – To compliment the beef, I prefer to use red wine in this sauce. White wine can easily be substituted as well and to be honest, the flavor difference is so fine, many people won’t even notice the substitution.
Milk – I recommend using milk over cream because it is not added to make the sauce creamy but rather give it a different texture and help tenderize the meat.
Herbs – Classic Italian cuisine herbs gives this sauce amazing flavor. Add garlic, oregano, parsley, and some fresh basil to finish the sauce.
HOW TO MAKE BOLOGNESE
Bolognese sauce is made through a combination of sauteing, sweating, and slow cooking and it will take a couple of hours to cook. I recommend using a Dutch oven for better and even cooking.
Start by sauteing onions, carrots, and celery until it’s soft and add the meats. Break down all the clumps as meat cooks. Once meat is mostly browned, add red wine and let it simmer for a few minutes.
Add beef stock, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano, parsley, garlic, salt, and pepper to the meat and mix it all well. Bring it to a simmer and lower the heat to low. Close the lid and let is slow cook for about an hour.
After an hour, add milk and basil, close the lid and cook for another 45 minutes to an hour.
IS BOLOGNESE SAUCE GLUTEN FREE?
Yes, this Bolognese sauce is completely gluten free. You can serve it with gluten free pasta, zucchini noodles, or spaghetti squash.
WHAT PASTA TO USE WITH BOLOGNESE SAUCE
Traditionally, this sauce is served with thick, flat pasta like fettuccine or tagliatelle. Of course, you can choose your own pasta based on personal favorites and what your kids will agree to try. I’ve made Bolognese sauce with rotini on many occasions because I like the way the twisted pasta catches the meat sauce.
Try this meat sauce over tortellini and ravioli for the extra cheesy bite.
For healthier options, serve Bolognese sauce with zucchini noodles or spaghetti squash.
HOW LONG WILL BOLOGNESE SAUCE LAST IN THE FRIDGE?
Store sauce in a glass jar (or two jars) with a lid, in the refrigerator for 4-7 days.
Food spoils faster when bacteria is introduced. To lower chances of bacteria getting in, do not put spoons or anything else in when getting sauce out, but pour some sauce out of the jar instead. Keep the lid on and open the jar as little as possible.
It’s better to divide the sauce among two jars so that the same jar is not opened several times for different recipes.
You can also freeze half of the sauce and save for later.
HOW TO FREEZE BOLOGNESE SAUCE
It’s always best to cool foods as quickly as possible before freezing. The faster it cools and freezes, the less chance for developing bacteria and subsequently, longer shelf life.
The best way to cool the sauce is to place the pot into a larger container filled with ice. To help it cool faster and evenly, make sure to stir the sauce often as it cools.
Once it’s cooled, you can portion sauce into several freezer bags or freezer containers with air-tight lid. Get all the air out and close completely. Label the bag or the container with date and name.
Place the bags flat on a cutting board and plate it in the freezer. Cutting board will help keep bags flat and straight as the sauce freezes.
Once sauce it frozen, you can remove the cutting board and stack the bags.
If using freezer containers, don’t stack them until the sauce it frozen to make sure each container freezes evenly.
To thaw sauce, pull out individual bags or container out of the freezer and into the refrigerator. Slow-thaw in the refrigerator overnight or for several hours.
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Bolognese Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 Vidalia onion
- 2 medium carrots
- 2 celery ribs
- 1 lb ground beef 85/15 meat to fat ratio
- 0.5 lb ground pork
- 6 garlic cloves
- 8 oz tomato paste
- 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
- 1/2 cup red wine
- 1 cup beef stock
- 2 tsp oregano
- 2 tbsp dried parsley
- salt
- fresh ground black pepper
- 3/4 cup whole milk
- 2 tbsp minced fresh basil
Instructions
- Preheat Dutch oven over medium heat and add olive oil.
- Saute onions, carrots, and celery until softened.
- Add beef and pork and break down all the lumps as meat cooks.
- Once meat is mostly browned, add red wine and let it simmer for a few minutes.
- Add beef stock, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano, parsley, garlic, salt, and pepper to the meat and mix it all well. Bring it to a simmer and lower the heat to low. Close the lid and let is slow cook for about an hour.
- After an hour, add milk and basil, close the lid and cook for another 45 minutes to an hour.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Ema says
I think my ancestors were Italians because I love pasta so much. This bolognese is looking delicious.
LyubaB says
Thanks, Emma! I love it so much too!!! 🙂
Georgio says
You’re Spot On!
Delizioso
LyubaB says
Thanks, Georgio!
Mike says
I can not cook. But I am looking to remedy that. A friend sent me this receipe. Very excited to try this today. Last week i mastered chili. Today is your bolognese. Wish me luck!!
LyubaB says
Hi, Mike! I hope it turned out well!
Judi says
I don’t keep wine on hand. Is there anything I can use as a substitute?
Mo says
Your recipe looks awesome.
I don’t do traditional with carrots, celery. I use: onion, mushrooms, roasted garlic.
What do you think about adding Pancetta? Or is that meat overkill since there are two different kinds of meat in your recipe. I also plan to get fennel pork sausage vs just plain ground pork.
Also, in your recipe you mention 2 tsp. Oregano. Is this fresh or dried?
Does milk add anything to the recipe or can one do without? Is it better over half and half or heavy whip? I noticed from other recipes that heavy whip doesn’t break down and separate as easily as milk or half and half.
Thanks!
Mo
lyuba says
I’m so sorry I didn’t see this question earlier! We were having spam issues with out email service. I saw below that you made it and answered you there. let me know if you still have more questions.
It is 2 tsp of dried oregano, I will clarify it in the recipe.
I think Pancetta would be good too, if you use ground beef and ground pork. With the sausage it might be too much tho.
Mary says
Made your recipe last night , loved it . Will make it again. The only change I made was 1 tablespoon of sugar.
LyubaB says
Hi, Mary! So glad you liked it!
sarah says
I came across your recipe while looking for a bolognese recipe to use for my own blog ( I’m blogging about cooking a dish I’ve never tried) and I’m tweaking it so it’s not identical to yours but I’m still going to refer people back to your recipe if that’s ok!
Mo says
Made this once so far and outstanding!
My question to use is can heavy whip replace whole milk?
It may give it a creamier feel to it, but not sure if it will alter the taste.
And, if heavy whip can be used, how much?
Thanks!
Mo
lyuba says
Hi Mo! Sorry about the previous comment, I misunderstood. The reason I recommend using milk over cream because Bolognese is not a creamy sauce and milk is added to give it a different texture, calm acidity or tomatoes, and help tenderize the meat.
You can of course rebel 😉 and try it creamy. Maybe you’ll like it better that way.
Elizabeth says
Fantastic! I added some bay leaves, vinegar and crushed red pepper. Made some homemade gnocchi for the sauce and everything turned out amazing. Thanks for sharing!
LyubaB says
Yum! So glad you liked it!
David W. says
Now that I am on temporary vacation, I am able to finally cook for my family more often. I made this recipe in the morning and the only addition I made was I added 4 links of sweet Italian sausage to the sauce. It is an amazing sauce and I can not stop sampling it all day.
LyubaB says
Hi David,
I am so glad you liked it!! Stay save!!!
Laura Kuferman says
It sounds wonderful & I can’t wait to try it this wk’nd
LyubaB says
I hope you like it!
Mick says
Is there any particular red wine that is best to use
Kelly says
Loved it!! I have four kids a husband and a father in law to feed. They all approve:)
LyubaB says
I am so glad you liked the recipe, Kelly! Thanks for stopping by to let me know!
Chris says
Do you rough chop the carrots and celery??
I’m in the midst of making it and there are still chunks of carrot and celery… Lol but in your photo, doesn’t seem to be chunks of veg. Help! 🙂
Crissy says
This sauce is incredible! We followed every instruction, just adding a bit of sugar to balance out the acidity of the tomatoes! After two hours it was wonderful! I would suggest adding a salt amount for the recipe! Wonderful sauce!
Thomas Manley says
Hi Lyuba, I have had this recipe pinned to my board for some time now, and I get many people liking it and copying it to their boards. I have made this several times now since I like veggies in the sauce and a thicker sauce for pasta. The only change I do add is a tablespoon of sugar to cut some of the acid from the tomatoes. I do have a problem with acid reflux. Great recipe and enjoy your corner on Pinterest. 🙂
Tom