UPDATE, Jan. 2013: Created a printable version of the recipe. Added metric measurements. Reworded some of the instructions to make the recipe even clearer. Hope you like it!
I’ll be flying to Rome at the end of the month and, to prepare for my trip, I’ve been reading guidebooks every night, sticking Post-It notes to each spot I want to visit and every restaurant I want to go to. I love, LOVE the planning phase of each new trip. I think I might have been a travel agent in another life.
The prospect of going back to Italy has also made me want to go crazy on cooking Italian food. You know – the fresh, simple, authentic flavors of Italy. The great thing about Italian food is that everybody loves it. It’s approachable but not simplistic. It’s easy to cook but so satisfying.
I’ve invited my parents to come over for dinner, and I know my Dad loves meat sauces. I have my shortcuts to making a great meat sauce (the one I always make as part of my very popular lasagna), but this time I decided to tackle a great classic: the Bolognese Sauce.
Bolognese sauce has sort of become the generic name for a meat and tomato sauce on this side of the ocean. Tasting it in Italy reveals a surprisingly different experience: my first encounter with an authentic Bolognese sauce was in Modena. E and I were wandering about this friendly university town, and were attracted by a cute caffè to grab a bite for lunch. The decor was all-white contemporary, music was loungy, comfortable couches littered the back of the restaurant and the place was filled with students hanging out or working on their computers. Turns out that the owner spoke French (he lived for many years in France), so he translated his very short daily menu (scribbled on a small piece of paper that waiters were carrying around) and, when he learned we’d arrived in the region just the day before, he proudly recommended his Spaghetti Bolognese, the sauce made daily with fresh ingredients – nothing frozen in there. I kind of think he was proud to be “our first” – and the experience was unforgettable. The taste was meaty but surprisingly delicate, aromatic, creamy and subtle. I’ve never tasted a pasta dish that married so well with plenty of freshly-grated parmigiano-reggiano.
The beautiful city of Modena in Emilia-Romagna, Italy.
My very first authentic spaghetti bolognese in a Modena caffè – love the idea of using a Chinese spoon for the grated cheese!
Of course, there is no single recipe of Bolognese Sauce, but the basic ingredients must be the same. It’s a serious thing too: in 1982, the Academia Italiana della Cucina officially registered the recipe with the Bologna Chamber of Commerce. The classic recipe must contain: onions, celery, carrots, pancetta, ground beef, tomatoes, milk and white wine.
Ingredient notes:
- Onion, celery, carrots: Now is the time to use your knife skills. Dice everything evenly in small ¼-inch dices. The size uniformity of these ingredients will allow them to cook evenly and will produce a more enjoyable texture. By the way, this combination of ingredients, cooked in olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper, is called a soffritto and is the base of many Italian dishes.
- Tomatoes are not a main ingredient in the sauce – you add a bit of it for taste but it is a meat sauce, first and foremost.
- Meats: Use lean ground meat (for a special treat, ask your butcher to chop the meats coarsely – 1/3 inch thick) and best-quality pancetta.
- Milk: Yes, milk is the surprise ingredient responsible for producing a more orange than red sauce (it also makes the meat more tender). Do not use cream.
- Broth: Although the registered 1982 recipe doesn’t include broth, most recipes I’ve encountered include some instead of water. It makes more sense to me taste-wise to choose beef over chicken broth.
- Seasoning: This recipe (perhaps surprisingly) does not contain any aromatic herbs or spices. It is frowned upon to add bay leaves or red pepper flakes. The only flavoring in this recipe is sea salt and black pepper. It is highly recommended to use sea or kosher salt as it lends a more refined taste than regular table salt.
- Pasta: This is a hearty sauce that should be eaten on pasta that can support its weight: it is often served with the wide and flat tagliatelle (fresh or dry).
- Cheese: Please – please – use only freshly grated authentic parmigiano-reggiano. It makes all the difference in the world.
- Method: Finally, note that this sauce doesn’t like to be rushed. Some recipes with offer shortcuts but the only way to allow the flavors to develop fully and the sauce to become so rich is a very long simmering – and I mean, 4 hours long. The base of the recipe isn’t complicated or time-consuming to make and the rest is just passive time in the kitchen. You start a bit batch, stir in once in a while and enjoy for many meals to come.
Fresh pappardelle pasta.
My version of a delicious and authentic bolognese ragù (bolognese sauce).
Pappardelle Alla Bolognese.
My recipe is based on two references: Josée Di Stasio, an Italian-Canadian celebrity cook and TV host in Quebec, and Jacob Kenedy, chef and co-author of The Geometry of Pasta.
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Ragù Bolognese
Authentic Bolognese Sauce
Makes about 8 servings
2 tbsp [30 ml] olive oil
¼ cup [60 ml] butter
1 large yellow onion, finely and evenly diced
4 small (or 2 very large) carrots finely diced
4 stalks celery heart (or 2 large celery stalks) finely diced
4 garlic cloves, very finely diced
4.5 oz [125 g] diced pancetta (¼-inch cubes)
Kosher or sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2.2 lb [1 kg] lean ground meat (blend of veal, pork and beef – or just beef)
1 cup [250 ml] dry white wine (like a Chardonnay)
2 cups [500 ml] milk
1 28-oz [828 ml] can whole San Marzano tomatoes, diced (both the liquid and the tomatoes)
1 cup [250 ml] beef stock
To serve
A few knobs of butter
Freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano
Fresh or dry tagliatelle, pappardelle, spaghetti, rigatoni, farfalle or even gnocchi, cooked in salted boiling water according to the manufacturer’s instructions
Heat the butter and the oil together in a large saucepan over medium heat. When the butter is melted and the saucepan is hot, add the onion, carrot, celery, garlic and a good pinch of salt (about ½ tsp [2.5 ml]) and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring often. Add the diced pancetta and cook for a further 10 minutes, until vegetables are softened and pancetta is golden.
Finely dice the onion, carrot and celery to make a basic soffritto – and to end up with a better sauce texture too.
Increase the heat to high and add the meat a third at a time, stirring and breaking lumps with a spoon between each addition. Adding the meat gradually allows its liquid to evaporate – which is key if you want to brown your meat and not boil it. After the last addition, when no pink can be spotted in the meat and no lumps remain, set a timer to 15 minutes. You want your meat to caramelize and even become crispy in spots. More liquids will evaporate and flavors will concentrate. You want golden bits of meat to stick to the bottom of your pan, which will be deglazed later. Watch over your pan as you don’t want the meat to burn. When you see some serious caramelization action happening, lower heat to medium to reach the end of the 15-minute sautéing time (on my stove, that’s after 8-9 minutes).
Left: sauteed vegetables and pancetta; Right: caramelized bottom of pan before deglazing with white wine.
Over medium heat, pour the white wine into the sauce pan. With a wooden spoon, scrape all the brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Push the meat all around to make sure you scrape it all off. By the time you’re finished, the wine will be evaporated (2-3 minutes). Be careful not to let the meat stick again (lower the heat if necessary).
Add milk, diced tomatoes and their liquid, beef stock, 1 tsp [5 ml] salt and a good grinding of black pepper. Bring to a boil and then lower to the lowest heat and let simmer very slowly, half-covered, for 4 hours. Stir once in a while. If your sauce starts sticking before the end of your cooking time, lower the heat (if possible) and/or add a bit of stock or water. In the end, the sauce should be thick, more oil- than water-based and thick like oatmeal. Adjust the seasoning one last time – don’t be afraid of adding more salt (tasting each time you add some), it is this recipe’s key seasoning.
Simmer the bolognese sauce very slowly, half-covered, for 4 hours on the lowest heat possible.
To serve: Reheat the sauce. Mix in a knob or two of butter and about two generous tablespoons [30 ml] of freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano per serving – these last additions will produce an incredibly creamy flavor. Cook the pasta, drain it thoroughly and return to the pot. Spoon some sauce, just enough to coat the pasta. Serve in bowls with a few leaves of basil sprinkled on top and more freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano, to taste.
More Italian Recipes:
- How to Make Arancine con Ragù (fried rice balls stuffed with meat sauce) (Another great way to use that delicious Bolognese sauce!)
- How to Make Gnocchi: A Step-by-Step Recipe
- Rome’s Forno Campo de’ Fiori Pizza, At Home
- World Nutella Day: Italian Hazelnut Torta with Homemade Nutella
- How to Make Gelato: A Detailed, Step-by-Step Recipe
OMG! YUM! This was my first attempt at an "authentic" bolognese. I followed your recipe to the letter, and it DID NOT DISAPPOINT. Even my husband who is a marinara sauce guy, loved this dish! It took all day to make (I also made pasta) but it was definitely worth the time, effort and money (Parmesano Reggiano was not cheap, but delicious). Thank you for sharing.
Thanks for your comment, I’m really happy you and your husband liked the sauce! Authentic Parmigiano Reggiano is definitely worth the splurge (for this recipe or any other pasta or risotto recipe) – the deep, nutty flavor makes all the difference in the world.
I don’t have any pancetta, I know its not an exact match, but can I use bacon?
Yes Michele, bacon is fine, but do not use the smoked variety. Smoke would overwhelm the complex flavors of this sauce.
I have made this recipe multiple times, and it is a family favorite! I love the flavor and smells it brings to the kitchen. Delicious!
So, I finally made this long awaited sauce today. I must say that the house smelled amazing. I won't eat it until tomorrow, but I imagine it will be even better, as some things tend to taste better reheated the next day. I'm hoping that will be true for this one too. Of course I was tasting it all along, and it does taste good, but I can't say I am over the top with it just yet. I can say I had to cook it for close to 6 hours, as it was still quite watery. It took forever to reduce. Would you know if this can happen at times, or could it be something I did wrong? I am also thinking it will thicken up overnight. In looking back at the recipe, I think I might have forgotten to actually boil the milk and such when those liquids were added, though I am not 100% certain. If i did, would you think that this might have made the difference in the time it took to reduce? Also, I used my circulon pot, which is non-stick, so while I got a nice caramelization, I never really had the brown bits to deglaze. I wonder how this changes things. And last, but not least, do the tomatoes really have to be San Marzano? At $5 a can, it is really worth it? I look forward to all comments, suggestions, tips, advice and answers. Thank you! Merci! P.S. I asked you a while back about making it in the crockpot from the simmering stage on, so that I didn't have to stay home for 4 hours, in my case 6. Now that I have made the sauce, I can tell you that I did not use the crockpot when I realized it had to reduce. I am a newbie crock pot user, but assumed the sauce would never reduce, as the crockpot tends to make more liquid when I've used it. Thank you!
Hello Karen, yes the sauce’s flavor definitely improves with age. About the reducing process, did you leave it uncovered? It may help to reduce it more quickly. Also you can bring the temperature a little higher, so the sauce simmers more vigorously (without burning) if you notice that it’s taking forever to cook.
Deglazing a pan just deepens the flavor of the sauce. If you had a nice caramelization, the flavor should be great.
San Marzano tomatoes are great (and they bring in lots of flavor), but if you can’t justify the expense, make sure you use Italian tomatoes (not just regular canned tomatoes). There are regular Italian tomatoes are indeed cheaper than San Marzanos.
This is my second time making it, it's one of the best. Guests loves it and there are no left overs. Planning on making a triple batch :) Thank you for a great recipe – 5 Stars all the way.
I’m really happy you and your guests love this sauce as much as I do. Every time I get a great comment about it, I feel an urgent craving to make another batch! On my to do list for the weekend :)
Bonjour Marie! Very excited to have discovered this recipe and this blog! Ì love supporting fellow Quebecers (I'm from Montreal). I stumbled upon it while searching for the perfect Bolognese sauce and I'll be trying it tonight. Very much looking forward to it!
Je suis très contente tu sois tombée sur mon blog Stephanie! I hope you’re going to love the sauce as much as I do (I’m pretty sure you will!)
Hi Marie,
Another BIG Bolognese fan here. It has not even cooked down yet and it's the best Bolognese I've ever had. Thank you especially for the details of the prep, ie cooking all the water out of the mirepoix (I used the biggest skillet I had for this to prevent the steam-frying effect) and letting the pancetta start the caramelization and then caramelizing the meat in batches. I can get impatient sometimes with this, but I let every step fully develop as directed and it added exponentially to the dish, imo. This will be my staple meat sauce and when everyone's oohin & ahhin, I will be pointing them to Marie at foodnouveau. Grazie tanto!
Thank you Soody for your very kind comment! I’m happy you’ve fallen for this sauce as well. It’s hard not to, isn’t it?
I'll say! I barely managed to keep my spoon out of it while it cooked down all afternoon. I was in heaven when I got to fill my bowl this evening. So good.
I shared some with my friends and promised my sister in law I'll make it for her next time I visit. I was surprised at the use of Chardonnay (and not a red wine) but it was so good.
I'd just offer a suggestion for those who don't cook with much salt: Don't add the salt until it has mostly cooked down as there was a nice saltiness in the pancetta and tomatoes that concentrated as it all reduced. I ended up not adding any. And then of course- there's the Parmigiano!
Thanks again Marie. - I'll just have to make the Arancine now that I have all this sauce!! Nice for Easter.
Excellent point about the salt, I will edit the recipe. What a great idea to serve Arancine for Easter! I might very well make another batch :)
Hi Marie,
Continuing our discussion about how long it keeps in the fridge – I did keep it at least a week and it was still delicious. Maybe it has to do with it being a sub-zero, I think they keep things better longer. But I had it a week and a half later and it was still excellent. I made it with veal, beef and pork, and doubled it. The one thing I did discover is that if you double, you need to cook the meat in two separate pans to get that nice browning - otherwise you end up boiling the meat. After that you can put it in a large pot for the 4 hours. I couldn't find pappardelle, so I made my own spaghetti noodles (two eggs to one cup flour, knead WELL, then cut in narrow strips – see Pioneer Woman, Ryan's homemade noodles for instructions). My family loved the homemade noodles, tossed in fresh basil and oregano. This recipe is definitely a keeper! Thanks so much for sharing it!
I am making this right now and my house smells so good. Could not find pancetta (I mean, I could have gone to another store, but I settled on bacon. I cut away some excess fat.) Cannot wait to eat this!
You did good saving yourself extra-mileage, bacon is an excellent substitute and I’m sure your sauce will be just as delicious!
This was (and is… as I will probably be eating it for the next 3 days) some of the best pasta sauce I've ever had. I'm so glad you posted this recipe because I scoured the intenets for decent recipes and while, I'm sure many of them were great, they were very complicated concoctions involving all sorts of blended meats and creams and spices. This was simple, to the point, and delicious. Kind of how authenic Italian food should be.
wow. awesome recipie. made if for the family this weekend. fun putting the time into the "gravy" and having it blow away just about 90% of restaurants attempts at this classic dish. thanks!
Delighted you liked it!
Made this dish last night and it was a hit. Enjoyed the photo’s with step b step instruction. Found this surfing web. Thanks for sharing.
Happy you liked the recipe, it’s a keeper!
What type pasta did you use?
Pappardelle: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pappardelle
Marie,
I just made the sauce and it is excellent. My question is, how long does it keep in the refrigerator? I made it Friday, but don't plan to serve it until next Saturday, or a week from now. Should I freeze or will it keep in a sub-zero until then?
Sorry that I took a while to reply to your comment – you probably did something with your sauce by now (hopefully, you’ve eaten it all! :)) I would keep it max 3-4 days in the fridge, and freeze it in portions if you plan to serve it later on. A good way to freeze the sauce is in zip-top bags, frozen flat. They defrost quickly and you can even speed up the process by plunging the bag in cold water for an hour.
Hello there,
Tried this magnificent recipe today. Must say that this is the best bolognese sauce recipe I've ever come across.
Just one thing tough, the sauce that I did somehow had the meat a little dry, and there's a hint of bitternest. Maybe you could point out what I might be doing wrong?
Sounds like you over-reduced the sauce, and it may have burned a little on the bottom (which explains the bitterness). Next time, try to always watch over the sauce, especially towards the end of the cooking process, to make sure it doesn’t stick. Stop the cooking as soon as it feels like you’ve reached the right consistency – or add a little water if you reach that point too early in the cooking process.
Is there a printer friendly version of the bolognese sauce…..thank you.
There is none yet, but I should put one up soon.
[...] Ragù Bolognese (adapted from Food Nouveau) [...]
[...] I couldn’t learn to make this dish from anyone in the fam, I found someone named Marie of Food Nouveau, Anne Burrell and the fine folks at Fine Cooking to guide me. With their help, I [...]
WOW!!!!! Amazing sauce. Tried it today and I have never had anything like it! I followed the directions exactly, put my heart into it, and it was spectacular!
Thanks for posting this.
Della
You go girl! Fabulous recipe.
Thank you! You’re too nice :)
Have you ever used nutmeg in a Bolognese sauce? One of my receipe books used it in their sauce?
Nutmeg has a delicate flavor and I don’t think it would make such a big difference in this sauce, which is already plenty flavorful as is. Also, nutmeg is not used in the original Italian recipe (which is why I’m not using it).
I can't wait to try this recipe. I have been searching for a good recipe for MANY years. The first time I tasted a sauce like this was after giving birth to my 2nd child. My cousin spent all day nurturing a perfect Bolognese Sauce and arrived just in time to prevent me from eating the hospital issued dinner! It was so delicious, as you can imagine. I have never tasted anything like it. The problem was that she didn't write down a single thing and neither of us has been able to replicate it in 20 years!!! Can you imagine? I have been searching and will let you know how close I can come to that perfect meal. Of course without the freshly delivered child and ravenously hungry new mom it may not be possible.
What a great story! I’m so happy to know this recipe helped you guys live such a beautiful moment together. That’s what cooking is all about, right?
This looks great. I’m making it for New Years Eve to feed 12. Should I double the recipe? thanks much. Kay
I’d say the recipe generously feeds 8, so to serve 12, you should double it indeed. As a bonus, you’ll have delicious leftovers! Happy new year to you and your family!
hello….can you tell me please if this can be made in a crock pot, once we're at the simmering stage? thanks!
I have never tried it, but I’m sure you could. Just double-check your crockpot’s manufacturer’s instructions for the recommended cooking time and check on it from time to time to make sure it doesn’t try out too much.
I randomly came across this recipe when searching for a good Bolognese sauce – it was fantastic! My family gave it a thumbs up to make again! Thanks for posting it.
Thank you for your feedback, happy you liked it!
can i just use that picnic white wine like the stuff in cartoon. i have bought wine before in bottle for cooking. too strong to drink for me. i know nothing of wine.
If the wine is good enough to drink on its own, it’s good enough to use in the sauce. If you wouldn’t drink it, don’t use it for cooking.
I have to say, this is the best bolognese receipe I have ever used. It’s become a staple in my home and is consistent every time I make it. I usually cook a batch, then freeze it into portions for 2. Once defrosted, it tastes just as good as when it was first made. Thank you so much for this recipe!
Mark
Thank you Mark, I’m so happy you like it! You just reminded me that I’m due to make another batch. Off to the grocery store right now!
Thanks for sharing this recipe, and for taking the time to annotate it thoroughly with details, commentary, and the lovely photos. We tried this last night with some homemade pasta, and it was deeelish! A definite keeper. Thanks so much!
Quick question though… ours had a fair amount of oil that floated to the top, mostly during the 3rd/4th hours of cooking. Do you skim that off at all? Or is that integral to the sauce? Maybe our pancetta/meat was a bit fattier…
Happy that you loved the sauce, it’s definitely a hit anytime I serve it!
About the fat rising up to the surface: yes, perhaps the pancetta you choose to use may influence the fat content of your sauce, but I believe the meat may have a bigger effect. I always use lean meat, perhaps you used a fatter ground meat which would make a big difference. I’d say that this sauce is definitely an indulgence, but I wouldn’t keep so much fat in there. You should see a shiny film floating over the surface of your sauce, but nothing more. If you feel there’s too much, scoop some up and throw it away. You can also let your sauce cool and then refrigerate it. The fat will harden and be very easy to remove (leave just a little bit to keep the sauce’s rich taste!).
More than the recipe, I loved the pictures. We were in Bologna, Modena and Parma three weeks ago and we were in food heaven. My only question is, why not include Bay leaves? I’ve seen many recipes that say bay leaves should be included. Like this recipe from the Telegraph. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/foodanddrinknews/7017565/Italian-chefs-tell-world-how-to-make-correct-bolognese.html
Is this a secret you got from one of the local chefs or a local grandma? Just wondering.
Thanks!
My own mom (which is not Italian) does include bay leaves in her Bolognese recipe. Though it’s not included in the official registered recipe, you should include them if you feel like it – although, I must say, the sauce definitely isn’t lacking flavor without it!