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A bowl of bolognese with utensils on the side and parsley.
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Bolognese

Try the best bolognese recipe ever! It’s robust, creamy, and every bite is bursting with flavor thanks to a loving slow simmer. Save it for when you have a few hours to spare in the kitchen.
Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours 10 minutes
Total Time 3 hours 30 minutes
Servings 6 servings
Calories 733kcal
Author John Kanell

Equipment

  • 2 Large pots

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 carrots chopped
  • 1 celery stalk chopped
  • 1 onion chopped
  • 6 cloves garlic minced
  • 1½ pounds ground beef (80/20) (675g)
  • 1 cup dry white wine (240mL)
  • 1 (28-ounce/794g) can whole tomatoes crushed
  • 1 (6-ounce/170g) can tomato paste
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 cup whole milk room temperature, (240ml)
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 pound pappardelle or tagliatelle pasta (450g)
  • ½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese (43g)

Instructions

  • In a large pot over medium-high heat, heat the oil. Add the carrots, celery, and onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 7 minutes. Add the garlic, and cook for 1 minute.
  • Add the ground beef. Cook, breaking up the meat while stirring frequently until browned, about 5 minutes.
  • Pour in the wine, scraping the bottom of the pot to loosen any browned bits. Stir in the tomatoes, tomato paste, and bay leaf. Reduce the heat to low and bring to a simmer.
  • Partially cover, and cook for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
  • Uncover, and continue simmering and stirring occasionally for an additional 1 hour, or until thickened.
  • Remove the bay leaf. Slowly stir in the milk, until fully combined. Stir in the salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and cover to keep warm.
  • Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta according to package directions.
  • Add the cooked and drained pasta to the meat mixture, tossing well to combine. Serve immediately topped with parmesan cheese.

Video

Notes

  • Chop up the vegetables quite small. A good soffritto is the first step to create a memorable bolognese. After simmering for a few hours, the vegetables should be essentially dissolved into the sauce. To achieve this, and to avoid big chunks of vegetables, chop them up finely. You could also make use of a food processor to save time. Beware of over-processing onion, though, as you can end up with onion paste in the span of a few seconds!
  • Use white wine. White wine adds brightness and acidity to the sauce, while cooking off fairly quickly. Red wine takes a much longer time to mellow out.
  • Crush the tomatoes before adding them to the sauce. Whole canned tomatoes are the best option for a thick sauce, but you’ll need to help them break down by crushing them. Place them into a bowl and squeeze the tomatoes with a clean hand.
  • Low and slow is the name of the game for this easy bolognese recipe. The sauce simmers for 3 hours, and a low heat will prevent the ingredients from sticking to the pot, while allowing a rich, deep flavor to develop for an authentic bolognese sauce.
  • Cook the pasta when the sauce is almost ready. Start the pasta about 15 minutes before the sauce is done so it is ready to toss in immediately.
  • Avoid thinner pasta varieties like spaghetti and angel hair pasta. While you may know and love spaghetti bolognese, spaghetti is a pretty flimsy pasta that might not be able to withstand the heft of a meat sauce like this.

Nutrition

Calories: 733kcal | Carbohydrates: 63g | Protein: 35g | Fat: 34g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 156mg | Sodium: 1048mg | Potassium: 708mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 3592IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 193mg | Iron: 4mg