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).
- 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) doesn’t 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 a blend of two favorites: the first from Josée Di Stasio, an Italian-Canadian celebrity cook and TV host in Quebec, and the second one from the (awesome!) new book, The Geometry of Pasta. I liked that the first mixed ground veal and pork with beef, and I thought the addition of beef broth in the second one would produce a deeper taste.
–
Ragù Bolognese
Authentic Bolognese Sauce
Makes about 8 servings
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons butter
1 large yellow onion, finely and evenly diced
4 small (or 2 very large) carrots finely and evenly diced
4 stalks celery heart (or 2 large celery stalks) finely and evenly diced
4 garlic cloves, very finely diced
120 g diced pancetta (1/4 to ½-inch cubes)
Kosher or sea salt (I’m using kosher salt, which has less salting power than sea salt, in this recipe)
Freshly ground black pepper
1 kg lean ground meat (blend of veal, pork and beef – or just beef, if you prefer)
1 cup dry white wine (like a Chardonnay)
2 cups milk
1 28-oz can whole San Marzano tomatoes, diced (you will use both the liquid as well as the tomatoes)
1 cup beef stock
To serve
A few knobs of butter
Freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano
Fresh or dry tagliatelle, pappardelle, spaghetti, rigatoni or even farfalle, cooked in salted boiling water according to the manufacturer’s instructions
Place a large saucepan over medium heat and melt the butter in the oil. Add the onion, carrot, celery and garlic with a good pinch of salt (about ½ teaspoon) 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 the water 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 water will evaporate and flavors will concentrate. You want golden bits of meat to stick to the bottom of your pan – this flavorful crust will then be deglazed with white wine. Watch over your pan as you don’t want your meat to burn. When you see some serious caramelization action happening, lower heat to medium to each the end of your 15-minute sautéing time (on my stove, that’s after about 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 your 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 (with liquid), beef stock, 1 teaspoon salt and a good grinding of 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 of freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano per serving – these last additions will produce an incredibly creamy flavor. Drain your pasta very well 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.
Hi,
I have been a vegetarian for about 15 years and one meal that i do miss the most is a lovely rich bolognaise sauce. I have tried many times to make it with Quorn mince, but it never works out very nice (im sure all you meat eaters out there are screaming out why!!) i havr tried adding shop brought sauces like Ragu and Dolmino, but they are very tomatoey. So i stubbled apon your recipe and followed it still using Quorn and found myself using ingredients that i never knew would go into a bolognaise sauce like – carrots, celery and milk – and i was amazed with the result. This is the best bolognaise sauce that i have ever made and tasted and thank you so much for sharing it with us…YUM!!! :)
The secret is indeed in the flavors you incorporate into the sauce. I’m very happy to learn this recipe works equally well using a meat substitute!
Thanks for this recipe Marie! I was just looking for the best bolognese sauce on the web to experiment (this is my first time cooking this) and it turned out excellent! The only thing is that my sauce started to thicken after 1 hour of simmering. It could probably be as i was simmering it on my pan instead of a pot? Nonetheless, it was still amazing and it makes me want to go back to Italy again. :)
Yes, if you used a larger and shallow pan, your liquids most probably evaporated more quickly. If you don’t have a deeper pot, next time, cover it earlier to let it time to simmer at length (which is important to develop robust flavors!). And you are right about that, this sauce always makes me want to fly back to Italy!
Hello,
I can’t wait to try your recipe, but I have one question: Can I simmer for MORE than 4 hours? Would this improve my sauce or not make a difference?
Thanks!
I think letting the sauce simmer for more than 4 hours may evaporate liquids too much, and after that much time, I’m not sure if you get significantly more flavor. If you do decide to simmer it longer, cover it when you feel like you have the right texture to make sure the remaining liquids don’t evaporate. Or try to adapt the recipe to cook it slowly for 8-10 hours using a CrockPot, I’m sure the result would be great! Good luck :)
[...] can’t let go of the ambition to get better. There is one post I’m proud of, visually speaking: How to Make an Authentic Bolognese Sauce. Everything just works together. I remember that taking the pictures felt easy and effortless, but [...]
[...] one day, I wanted to make my own tagliatelle to go with my homemade Bolognese sauce. I took out the old unbleached all-purpose flour and made very good pasta. Al dente, soft with a [...]
[...] Here’s my version which is loosely based on many different versions, but most specifically this one. [...]
Ooh my, that was amazing! Just finished eating it and had to comment! We halved all ingredients and it came out lovely, a moment of worry when we first put in the milk, but it was amazing!
Only thing we had a problem with was letting it simmer, only lasted about a hour before it was getting dry so ate it then! I imagine it was because the steam could get out but was still great.
First time making any sauce, and will deft add to my cook book.
I was very surprised as well when I first read that Bolognese contained milk…! But how creamy and rewarding does it turn out. I wonder why your sauce cooked off so quickly, maybe your lowest heat setting is still hotter than mine. I’m sure it was great anyhow – and probably even better reheated.
Hi, i am half italian and i tried out your recipe, it is easy to make and tastes fantastic, the best bolagnese i have ever made, thank you
What a great compliment! Thank you, I’m happy the sauce lived up to your expectations.
I was so excited to make this sauce after all the wonderful comments but mine is a ground meat soup. Very liquidy and not red in color :( The only difference in the recipe was using bacon instead of pancetta.
Just returned from Italy last week and was so optimistic to try and replicate the delicious Bolognese but this recipe didn’t quite work out for me.
I’m so sorry that your sauce didn’t turn out well! The problem seems to be that the liquid didn’t evaporate enough. The whole cooking process should take around 4.5 hours: a half hour to sauté the vegetables, pancetta (or bacon) and meat, and then at least 4 hours of slow-simmer. Did you simmer it for that long? Also, did you make sure your pot was half- or uncovered? If the pot is covered, the liquids won’t be able to evaporate as well, and this is key to make the sauce thick and creamy. The color should be more orange than red – because there is not a lot of tomatoes and that milk is added.
I would say that your sauce is probably good, it just needs to simmer further down. Try and put it on the stove again and simmer until most of the water is evaporated and you see the texture of the sauce is getting thick (without letting it stick to the bottom). I’m sure it can be fixed. Good luck!
This was the BEST!!! I have wanted to make bolognese saucse for a long time. I decided to make this for my birthday dinner and it was fantastic!!!
The photos helped tremendously.
Thank you!
Ann
Isn’t it one of the most satisfying sauces? Every time I get a comment on this post, I long for a bowl of this luscious sauce. I would eat it by the spoonful! I’m happy I contributed a little to your birthday dinner!
Hi,
in the process of making it, the picture’s are a reel help,
can’t wait to taste the sauce, why so little spice?i could not help myself i added a little dry red pepper flakes, and used less milk, i also used choped lean bacon.could not get my hands on pancetta.anyway thank you for giving me a great idea for my next family meal.
Tom, authentic bolognese sauce is not spicy at all! It’s a very mellow, creamy and meaty concoction. I agree with you though that the addition of a kick of spice probably tastes delicious! As for replacing bacon for pancetta: cooking is all about making recipes your own and make do with the ingredients you have on hand. I’m sure your sauce was great.
This was a great and easy recipe! I didn’t have pancetta on hand so I used bacon, but it was still delicious. Thanks!
So happy you liked the recipe! I’m sure making it with bacon was just as good. Yum, makes me want to cook another batch of this luscious sauce!
[...] How to Make an Authentic Bolognese Sauce [...]
That looks super freakin awesome! I'm actually half way through making bolognese and was wondering why mine wasn't thickening up like I wanted… after reading this I want to throw it all out and start again. Have to cook bolognese again next week I suppose. What a pity ;)
This is indeed the best bolognese I've ever made! If you gather the courage to try again, go for it, you won't be disappointed.
Hi there!
Do you have the recipe to make the pasta?
Hello Bernice! I haven't made the pasta myself, but for a good basic recipe, I recommend Eleonora's at: http://www.aglioolioepeperoncino.com/2009/03/maki… – it's a great walthrough!
Aw, Marie THANKS for the shout out.
Hope this new year will keep you and E in overflowing happiness, laughter, good health, bring rippling prosperity and offer up memorable meals.
Ciao
Ele xx
Mmm, looks delicious! Great photos too!
This is very similar way I learned to do the bolognese sauce from my grandmother! The carrots and celery make the flavor sooooo much better! I love your blog! I will be following it!!
xoxo
I'm happy to know that my sauce has some "Grandma" authenticity as well! Thank you for your comment, really happy to have you as a reader. I'll go and check out your blog!
[...] How to Make an Authentic Bolognese Sauce [...]
What a hearty and thoroughly satisfying sauce. This is my first visit to your blog, though I suspect it will not be my last. I've spent some time browsing your earlier posts and must tell you that I love the food and recipes that you highlight here. I hope you have a wonderful day. Good luck in the FoodBuzz Project Food Blog competition. Blessings…Mary
Thank you Mary for your comment. The competition is really a coin toss! I've decided to do it just for fun – we'll see what happens. The great thing is that it has already brought me new readers like you, and just for that, it was worth it!
After rampant search of the internet (love you Google!), I decided to make my first bolognese using your receipe! I can barely type as I keep going to the simmering pot to try another spoonful! I don’t know if I can last another three hours! My steak and potatoes fiancee was once impressed with thus dish at Mama Lucias in Newport, RI. Since we have yet to come close to finding a medicore version somewhere else. Being I love to cook, I decided to give him the bolognese he lusts for. One small spoonful after only 30 mins of simmering was an orgasm in our mouths! Words cannot describe the taste! I wish my 100% Italian father was still with us to enjoy this dish as he would have happily died! I followed the receipe to a “T”, being walking distance from Providence’s Federal Hill you had visited. Fresh everything!
I make never make another meal again! We thank you!
I’m very happy you loved the sauce as much as I did! Thank you for writing.
Beautiful photo and great story! I cannot wait to make this.
Yum! My Italian grandmother's secret was to blend 3 different types of meats: beef, veal and pork (1/3 of each). :)
Exactly what I did! I love the depth of flavor the three kinds of meat bring to the sauce.
Bolognese is a wonderful hearty suace. Thick noodles, bolognese sauce and wine is the perfect dinner.
My best bolognese ever was in a small restaurant in Rome called Colline Emiliane – it was amazing… but oh my – I think, from memory, yours looks better! I definitely agree that milk is required for the sauce – but I always had this impression it was to cut down on the acidity of the dish, to make it creamier… Have a great trip!
Derek: Thank you so much for your kind comments! I hope you will keep on finding my future posts as interesting. I'll work hard for it!
Chowgirl: You definitely have to try this sauce. It's not hard to make and sooooo rewarding!
Trissa: Oh great, I'm taking a note of that Roman restaurant, I'll try to track it down. You have a good point about the milk cutting down the acidity of the dish, I think it's what makes the sauce so mellow. Your blog looks yummy and I love your photography! I'll definitely follow your posts.
I so agree with you about enjoying the planning phase of a trip. Isn't anticipation wonderful?
I've never made my own bolognese sauce, but yours looks so incredible that I think I may have to try it very soon!
Marie,
I have just come across your blog by way of FoodGawker, and I must say that I am quite impressed from this one article. Your pictures are fantastic, instruction superb, and I greatly appreciate your love of culture, specifically food and language.
I greatly look forward to exploring your blog, and all the treats you (hopefully) have in store!
Cheers from your neighbor to the south,
Derek