Authentic Bolognese Sauce (Ragù alla Bolognese)
A famous and often imitated sauce from Italy, Bolognese has plenty of controversy around it. What type of pasta it’s served with, the kind of meat, how much tomato, white, red, or no wine, milk or not, etc. This recipe removes all those questions because this is an authentic Bolognese sauce straight from the Bologna Chamber of Commerce. Also, Spaghetti Bolognese doesn’t exist in Italy.
Ingredients
- 150 grams pancetta, (about 5 ounces)
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil , or 50 grams butter
- 50 grams celery , diced (about 1 celery rib)
- 50 grams carrot , peeled and diced (about 1 medium carrot)
- 50 grams onion , diced (about ½ a medium onion)
- 300 grams ground beef, (about ⅔ a pound, 80/20)
- 200 milliliters white wine, (about ¾ a cup)
- 300 grams peeled tomato or tomato passata, (about 10.5 ounces)
- 200 milliliters beef or vegetable stock , optional (about ¾ a cup)
- 200 milliliters milk, (about ¾ a cup)
- 100 milliliters heavy cream or crème fraiche , optional (about ½ a cup)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
- Before starting, prepare all your vegetables and the pancetta. Slice the pancetta into small strips like a rectangular dice. Peel the carrot and cut it, the celery rib, and ½ onion into a small dice.
- Add the 5oz diced pancetta to a deep pan or pot and begin cooking on a medium-low heat and allow to render about 8-10 minutes. Add 3 tablespoons oil or butter and then the diced vegetables. Continue to cook on medium-low heat about 10 minutes. The vegetables should soften, and the onion should become translucent, but not browned.
- Once the vegetables have softened, add the 10.5oz ground meat and bring the heat up to medium. Break the meat up and allow to brown, stirring occasionally. After a few minutes, the meat will release its juices, continue cooking until most of the liquid has evaporated. Now add the ¾ cup wine and cook until it has evaporated as well. This whole process should take about 10-15 minutes or so.
- After the wine has evaporated, add your 10.5oz peeled tomatoes or passata. If using peeled tomatoes (preferred choice), either crush them by hand before adding, or use a fork or back of a wooden spoon to crush them inside the pot. After mixing everything together, turn the heat down to low and allow to simmer for at least 2 hours.
- Check and stir the Bolognese about every 20 minutes. If the sauce begins to look dry, add some stock and keep cooking. When the sauce is about 20 minutes from being done, stir in the ¾ cup milk and combine. When the sauce is done, remove from the heat and stir in the crème fraiche or heavy cream at this point, if using. Now the sauce is ready to be used how you choose.
- If serving over pasta like tagliatelle, bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil around the time you add the milk. If using fresh pasta, cook about 2-3 minutes. If using dry, cook as directed, about 1 minute less than the recommended time for al dente. Add some sauce to a large skillet over medium heat, then, using tongs or a pasta server, transfer the pasta to the pan and add a little of the starchy water. Cook with the sauce, stirring often, adding some more sauce on top. Once fully cooked and mixed, plate and serve, grating fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano on top.
Equipment Used
Notes
1) Wine – White wine is used in this recipe, but red wine can and is often used instead. The important thing is not to use a cheap cooking wine, use something you’d actually be willing to drink. Good choices include pinot grigio, sauvignon blanc, and chardonnay. Avoid sweeter wines or a chardonnay that’s too “oaky.” If using red wine, a pinot noir, merlot, or cabernet sauvignon is a good choice. People like red wines for cooking because of their bolder flavors and added tannins, while white wines tend to be lighter and more acidic.
2) Exact Weights – While the recipe is written with the weight in grams of the ingredients, don’t be concerned about being exact. Most stores in America will sell ground meat in roughly 1-pound containers, and if you buy pre-cut pancetta, it’s typically sold in 4oz containers. Just use those if you wish to avoid a butcher giving exact amounts. Tomatoes have the same problem. In the US, canned, peeled tomatoes are typically sold in 8oz, 14oz, and 28oz options. 300 grams is about 10.5 ounces, but just use the 14oz can, pouring out a little liquid if you want to. Passata has the same issue as it’s typically sold in 24-25oz bottles, so use about half of one.
3) Pasta – Bolognese makes a great sauce, but you’re not simply limited to a long noodle pasta dinner. Another very popular dish is Lasagna Bolognese, Gnocchi Bolognese, or serve the ragù with polenta. Many people will also serve it simply with a good bread to mop up the sauce. When serving with pasta, the most traditional choice is fresh tagliatelle. Other good options are fettuccini, pappardelle, or any wider or thicker pasta that can hold onto the ragù.
4) Nutrition – The nutritional values listed above are for the Bolognese sauce only. If serving with pasta, 70-90 grams of dried pasta is typically average, slightly more with fresh pasta. A 500 gram or 1 pound box of pasta should be enough for 5-6 servings.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cupCalories: 502kcalCarbohydrates: 9gProtein: 21gFat: 42gSaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 82mgSodium: 503mgPotassium: 645mgFiber: 2gSugar: 6gCalcium: 116mgIron: 3mg
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