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Home » Dinner » Beef » Bolognese Sauce

Bolognese Sauce

Created: June 22, 2023 Updated: June 22, 2023 by Lyuba Brooke 34 Comments *This post may contain affiliate links. Read More...

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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. For easy weeknight dinner, prepare this sauce ahead of time and freeze it in portions. 

If you love classic Italian Sauces, try my Alfredo Sauce, classic Pasta sauce, or Vodka Sauce.

Fettuccine mixed and topped with Bolognese sauce on a plate with a fork.

What is 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.

Ingredients In Bolognese Sauce

labeled ingredients to make Bolognese sauce on the wooden board.

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. 

See recipe card for complete information on ingredients and quantities.

How To Make Bolognese Sauce

collage of four images of steps to make meat sauce from cooking veggies, adding meat, adding wine and sauce.
collage of two images of cooking the meat sauce stirring it and after cooked for an hour.

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 (1) and add the meats. Break down all the clumps as meat cooks (2). Once meat is mostly browned, add red wine (3) and let it simmer for a few minutes. 

Add beef stock, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano, parsley, garlic, salt, and pepper (4) to the meat and mix it all well (5). Bring it to a simmer and lower the heat to low. Close the lid and let is slow cook for about an hour (6). 

After an hour, add milk and basil (7), close the lid and cook for another 45 minutes to an hour (8).

collage of two images of making the Bolognese sauce adding milk and stirring it in.
cooked red Bolognese sauce in a large pot with a ladle in it.

Recipe FAQs

Is Bolognese Sauce Gluten Free?

Yes, this Bolognese sauce should be completely gluten free. As always, double check all the packaging of the products you are using.
You can serve it with gluten free pasta, zucchini noodles, sauteed vegetables, or spaghetti squash. 

What pasta is best 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 so well. 
Try this meat sauce over tortellini , and ravioli for the extra cheesy bite. It would also be fantastic over gnocchi.
For healthier options, serve Bolognese sauce with zucchini noodles or spaghetti squash.

What is the difference between ragu and Bolognese sauce?

While both sauces are tomato based hearty meat sauces, they are in fact difference. Ragu refers to the broad term of an Italian tomato based, rich meat sauce made with ground meat and vegetables. The Bolognese Sauce comes from the Bologna region on Italy and has a thicker tomato base than the original ragù but is still packed with meats, traditional vegetables, and milk.

Fettuccine with Bolognese sauce topped with more sauce, parmesan, and basil.

Storing Suggestions and Shelf Life

Store sauce in a glass jar (or two jars) with an air-tight lid, in the refrigerator for 5-7 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. 

Freezing Instructions

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 up to 24 hours.

swirling some fettuccine with red meat sauce with a fork over a spoon.

Some More Comforting Italian Recipes To Try

Instant Pot Spaghetti Sauce

Instant Pot Spaghetti

Italian Meatballs

Classic Lasagna

Chicken Parmesan

Baked Ziti

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fettuccine pasta mixed and topped with a tomato based meat sauce on a plate.

Bolognese Sauce Recipe

Rich and meaty Bolognese Sauce is perfect to serve over your favorite pasta. Bolognese Sauce is a classic Italian sauce made with vegetables, wine, milk, and a combination beef and pork.
4.82 from 33 votes
Print SaveSaved! Rate
Course: dinner, Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Diet: Gluten Free
Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours hours 30 minutes minutes
Total Time: 2 hours hours 40 minutes minutes
Servings: 10 (makes about 2.5 quarts)
Calories: 288kcal
Author: Lyuba Brooke

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

  • Gluten Free Options: Bolognese sauce should be completely gluten free. As always, double check all the packaging of the products you are using.
    You can serve it with gluten free pasta, zucchini noodles, sauteed vegetables, or spaghetti squash.
  • Storing: Store sauce in a glass jar (or two jars) with an air-tight lid, in the refrigerator for 5-7 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.
  • Freezing: there are detailed freezing instructions for this sauce in the post. Make sure to check that if you plant to freeze it.

Nutrition

Calories: 288kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 50mg | Sodium: 396mg | Potassium: 828mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 2620IU | Vitamin C: 15.8mg | Calcium: 90mg | Iron: 3.2mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @willcookforsmiles and tag #willcookforsmiles

Originally published on Will Cook For Smiles in May 2019.

LYUBA

ABOUT LYUBA

I’m Lyuba Brooke, mother of 2, the cook, recipe developer, photographer, and author behind willcookforsmiles.com. I share many classic and original recipes, cooking tips, and tutorials. My passion is sharing delicious meals for everyone to try. Read more...

52.7K shares

Filed Under: Beef, Dinner, Gluten Free, Italian, Sauce

All images and text ©Lyubov Brooke for ©Will Cook For Smiles. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If using my posts in collections and features, please link back to this post for the recipe. Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate as most ingredients and brands have variations.

Comments

  1. Deb Algar says

    September 27, 2023 at 6:43 pm

    I only added 1/4 milk as I like a more rustic sauce than a creamy sauce and it turned out wonderful!

    Reply
    • LyubaB says

      September 28, 2023 at 9:34 am

      So glad you liked it!

      Reply
  2. Autumn L Starr says

    July 11, 2023 at 8:44 pm

    5 stars
    Hi, I loved the flavor. I had trouble with that. I had a lot of liquid that made it runny, and it didn’t stick to the pasta. Any advice?

    Reply
    • LyubaB says

      July 18, 2023 at 1:09 pm

      You can cook it down some more to make it thicker by simmering it more but watch it because you do still want it to be a sauce. You could also use rigatoni or corkscrew pasta that will catch more of the meat.

      Reply
  3. sue says

    April 12, 2023 at 12:57 pm

    Isn’t there nutmeg in the traditional sauce?

    Reply
    • LyubaB says

      April 13, 2023 at 1:56 pm

      I don’t know if it’s traditional or not some people do and some people don’t add it. If you’d like you could grate a little nutmeg over it.

      Reply
  4. Jinki says

    October 27, 2022 at 7:08 am

    5 stars
    How much salt and pepper do you put in?

    Reply
    • LyubaB says

      April 13, 2023 at 1:52 pm

      Since everyone has a different preference on how much I just salt and pepper this to taste.

      Reply
  5. Thomas Manley says

    November 25, 2020 at 10:19 am

    5 stars
    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

    Reply
  6. Crissy says

    November 17, 2020 at 11:28 pm

    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!

    Reply
  7. Chris says

    November 2, 2020 at 5:44 pm

    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! 🙂

    Reply
  8. Kelly says

    August 27, 2020 at 8:46 pm

    5 stars
    Loved it!! I have four kids a husband and a father in law to feed. They all approve:)

    Reply
    • LyubaB says

      August 31, 2020 at 4:57 pm

      I am so glad you liked the recipe, Kelly! Thanks for stopping by to let me know!

      Reply
  9. Mick says

    April 30, 2020 at 3:19 pm

    Is there any particular red wine that is best to use

    Reply
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Well, hey there!

I’m Lyuba Brooke, mother of 2, the cook, recipe developer, photographer, and author behind willcookforsmiles.com. I share many classic and original recipes, cooking tips, and tutorials. My passion is sharing delicious meals for everyone to try. Read More.

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