The secret to this authentic Ragù Bolognese sauce recipe is cooking the meat in milk first before adding white wine and tomato paste. The texture will melt in your mouth! Serve with fresh homemade pasta or gnocchi for an old world taste.
The Bolognese sauce I grew up with was far from “authentic.” Made with lean ground beef, red wine and canned tomatoes (lots), it was undeniably delicious, authentic to our Italian family and served as an easy pasta dinner any night of the week. I didn’t think anything of it.
But then… I fell down a rabbit hole researching authentic Italian pasta sauce recipes from northern Italy, specifically Bologna (birthplace of Ragù Bolognese), tasting and testing recipes from two of the greatest Italian chefs of all time: Marcella Hazan and Anna Del Conte.
Nestled between broad and flat ribbons of pappardelle pasta, this new-to-me authentic Bolognese sauce was so soft and so tender it practically melted in my mouth! The tomato component was not dominant at all. It was an accent rather, a flavorful one, and when combined with milk and white wine I couldn’t help but wonder: was it really meat sauce at all?
Ragù vs Bolognese: What’s The Difference?
In order to understand what “real meat sauce” even is, it’s important to differentiate between Ragù and Bolognese. They’re not the same. In Italian, “Ragù” is a hearty meat sauce made of ground meat, vegetables, wine and some tomatoes. “Bolognese” is also a meat sauce, but it’s a regional variation prepared in the style of Bologna hence the name: Ragù Bolognese.
OK, So Tell Us More. What is Ragù Bolognese?
Ragù Bolognese is a beautiful, slow-cooked sauce made from ground beef and/or pork, chopped carrots, onion, celery, milk, wine, tomato paste and stock. No garlic.
Of course, there are slight variations as one would expect: cubed pancetta, chicken livers (we add this to our Bolognese sauce at Sfoglia), silky tomato passata (strained tomato puree), cream, and perhaps a bay leaf or two.
But to me, the biggest difference when compared to the tomato-heavy meat sauce I grew up with, is that Ragù Bolognese uses milk, white wine and notably less tomatoes. The milk tenderizes the meat and mellows out any tart, acidic notes. The flavor is soft, light and slightly sweet! That’s the selling point. And it’s brilliant.
Ingredients You Will Need
- Butter
- Olive oil
- Pancetta
- Onion
- Carrot
- Celery
- Ground Beef
- Ground Pork
- Whole Milk
- Nutmeg (the flavor is warm, not strong)
- Bay leaves (this is a must)
- White wine
- Tomato Paste
- Quality chicken stock (I use organic bone broth from Trader Joe’s)
A Few Tips:
- Use a food processor. The veggies should be finely chopped. No large chunks in the sauce.
- Don’t skip the milk. Cooking the meat in milk first, before adding the wine and tomatoes tenderizes the texture. Some Ragù Bolognese sauce recipes call for adding the milk at the end of cooking (bit by bit). But I add it earlier on- I like the texture and flavor better.
- Don’t brown the meat. Cook it gently to keep it soft and not rubbery.
- Try white wine (instead of red). It lightens and brightens the sauce.
- Double it. Make the most of your time and cook extra to freeze. You’re at the stove anyway!
Ragù Bolognese Sauce Pairs Well With:
More Pasta Sauce Recipes To Try!
- Aglio e Olio (Garlic and Oil)
- Quick Sicilian-Style Tomato Sauce
- Easy Golden Butter & Sage Pasta Sauce
- Authentic Pomodoro Sauce (Fresh or Canned)
- Classic Italian Basil Pesto (Pesto alla Genovese)
- Easy Pesto alla Trapanese (Sicilian Pesto)
*Photo credit & styling: Melina Hammer.
Print
Ragù Bolognese Sauce
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 150 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours 40 minutes
- Yield: 5-6 cups
- Category: Pasta Sauce
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: Italian
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
This authentic Ragù Bolognese sauce recipe boasts a rich, melt in your mouth texture with incredible flavor. The secret is cooking the meat in milk first, to tenderize it, before adding white wine and tomato paste. Serve with fresh homemade pasta, pappardelle or gnocchi for an old world touch.
**Make sure to read the Notes. Tips & Substitutions section below for best results**
Recipe adapted from Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking by Marcella Hazan & The Classic Food of Northern Italy by Anna del Conte.
Ingredients
For the Sauce
- 2 tbsp. (30 g) unsalted butter
- 2 tbsp. (30 ml) olive oil
- 2 oz. (60 g) diced pancetta
- 1 onion
- 1 carrot
- 1 celery stick
- 1/2 lb. (250 g) ground beef, about 80% fat
- 1/2 lb. (250 g) ground pork
- 1 cup (236 ml) whole milk
- pinch of ground nutmeg
- 1 dried bay leaf or 2 fresh
- 1 cup (236 ml) dry white wine
- Heaping 1/4 cup (60–70 g) tomato paste (see Notes below)
- 1–2 cups (236– 472 ml) quality chicken stock (see Notes below)
To Serve
- 1 lb. homemade pappardelle pasta
- Fresh grated Parmesan cheese, to serve
Notes, Tips & Substitutions
- If you do not have tomato paste: omit the chicken stock and used canned tomatoes instead. A good size to start is a 14 oz (400 g) can of whole peeled plum tomatoes, adding more if you want. Chop the tomatoes before adding to the sauce (I snip them with scissors directly in the can.) Alternatively, use 1-2 cups (appx. 236- 475 ml) bottled tomato passata instead.
- My preferred tomato brands: San Marzano, Mutti, Cento, Jovial
- Cooking times will depend on the size of your pot (the smaller the pot, the longer it will take). Adjust accordingly.
- If doubling the recipe: increase the cooking times as needed.
Instructions
- In a heavy bottom pot (a Dutch oven is perfect) warm the butter and olive oil over medium-low heat.
- Meanwhile, chop the pancetta, onion, carrot and celery in a food processor. The texture should resemble a rough looking “pulp” which will melt into the sauce. No large chunks.
- Add the chopped pancetta and veggie mixture to the pot. Sauté, stirring occasionally, for 10-15 minutes until lightly golden. Feel free to add more oil or butter as needed, if the mixture seems dry.
- Add the ground beef and pork. Use a fork to mash the meats together. Season with salt and black pepper. Cook just until the meat looses its pink color; do not brown. This will keep the texture of the meat soft.
- Add the milk, nutmeg and bay leaf. Simmer until almost evaporated, up to 20 minutes (or more) depending on the size of the pot and how much liquid is released from the meat.
- Pour in the wine; simmer until almost evaporated. Add the tomato paste; stir to dissolve. Add 1 cup of stock. Stir well.
- Reduce the heat to low. Cook the sauce, with the lid ajar, for about 1-2 hours. The sauce should just “blip” about and not boil rapidly. Low and slow is key for a melt in your mouth texture. Do not rush the cooking process. If, at any point the liquid is reducing too quickly, add more stock or tomatoes as needed. Sometimes I add more tomato paste for color. The final sauce should look similar to chili (thick, but no too thick). Skim away any fat from the surface and season with salt, if needed.
- For the pappardelle: bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt generously. Add the pappardelle noodles and cook until soft and al dente, 3-7 minutes depending on thickness. Taste for doneness. Make sure to to stir occasionally so the pasta doesn’t stick together. When finished, use tongs to transfer the pasta directly into the sauce, adding an additional pat of butter for flavor. Serve with Parmesan cheese.
Keywords: Bolognese, Ragu, meat sauce, ground beef, tomato paste, white wine, bay leaf, Marcella Hazan, pappardelle pasta, homemade pasta, Italian cuisine
Comments
Kristina says
Hello! What do you think about using a slow cooker for this recipe? Seems like it may work but thought I’d ask your opinion. Thanks so much!
Emilie Raffa says
Hi Kristina! I haven’t tried it, but it has to work. I suggest doing steps 1-4 on the stove top to develop flavor, and then switching to the slow cooker after that. Alternatively, if your slow cooker has a saute option, then use it from start to finish. Enjoy.
Stephanie says
It was a bit bland…made it according to the directions
★★★★
Emilie Raffa says
Hi Stephanie! Thanks for your feedback. Check for salt next time. Some brands of stock, canned tomatoes and even tomato paste have different levels of sauce which can make (or break) a recipe. I’d start there. Also, feel free to adjust the ingredient quantities here, adding more or less of what you like in sauce.
Annier says
We just had this ragu as written, and although it wasn’t as red as a typical tomato sauce or as shown in the pictures, it was truly amazing. I cannot imagine how this could taste any better with homemade pappardelle noodles, but I will attempt to make them next time I truly want to blow anyone’s mind with this ragu. Enough said!
★★★★★
Emilie Raffa says
What lovely feedback, Annier. Thank you! I’m so glad you enjoyed it.
ceebee says
Well, Emilie, you certainly “fell down the right rabbit hole” on this recipe. My Bolognese Nonna would heartily agree. Her preparation of the sauce, and what I use myself now is almost exactly what you described. Squisito!
As I am sure you know Italians from that region are very fond of nutmeg, and I generally go nutmeg heavy when preparing the sauce. I also use 3-4 dried porcini mushrooms, soaked in about 1/2 cup boiling water and then cut up with scissors before adding pieces and liquid to the sauce. They just give a little umami blossom that is not just “mushroomy.”
The milk, though, is the key and I am so pleased that you took the time to share that and hopefully dispel the myths that heavy cream or half and half are needed to make this wonderful sauce.
BTW, when our son was going through a meatless period, I even tried making this using TVP rehydrated in vegetable stock in place of the meat. I had to ramp up the porcini punch, but it was incredibly tasty….a meatless Bolognese.
★★★★★
Emilie Raffa says
It’s a rainy day here in NY and I’m making your version with porcini mushrooms (they have been so difficult to find these days!). It smells divine. I’m also doing a higher ratio of pork to beef because it’s all I have. I’m using fresh, whole nutmeg too. And I absolutely agree with you about the cream- not necessary. In fact, it becomes a completely different sauce, doesn’t it?
ceebee says
You’re tops, Emilie! Thanks again for bringing the authentic Bolognese sauce recipe to everyone. It’s way easy to execute and so tasty. I’m glad that you also had the opportunity to try it w/ Nonna’s umami bomb, the dried porcini mushrooms. Nonna probably never heard of umami, but she sure knew what pleased the palate!
Andrea says
Yessssssss. Omg yes. This was worth every minute it took to make, and start to finish it was just over four hours (I doubled the recipe). I have always wanted to make a bolognese. My word is this recipe incredible. I made the noodles, too, and we all loved them. I didn’t change anything. Definitely perfect as written!
★★★★★
Emilie Raffa says
Andrea, I’m so glad you liked it! This sauce definitely takes time, but it’s a “stirring slowly” kind of thing. A joy really :) And yay! You made the noodles too! Fresh homemade pasta is something else.
jude says
another brilliant recipe, emilie.
rave reviews here at home.
i used onion powder with the nutmeg and bay leaf because we don’t eat onions.
it was mostly a hands off recipe, which is always welcome.
thanks for all your efforts and for sharing them with us!
★★★★★
Emilie Raffa says
Ahhh, this is so great to hear! I’m actually working on a few new recipes that utilize it. When you have some in the freezer ready to go, the possibilities are endless! Jude, the onion powder sounds really interesting. Out of curiosity, how much did you use?
jude says
oh, yes, stuff for the freezer! i am eager to see what you have in store.
i didn’t write down how much i used in my notes but i’m guessing a teaspoon.
i snubbed my nose at onion powder for years but have found a few more recipe developers using it of late and i’m finding it works really well (and sure beats cutting up onions!) thanks for writing back, emilie. i love your site and your work.
★★★★★
Claire Beach says
This recipe is AMAZING! I would eat the sauce everyday if I could. It’s such a nice touch adding the pork- so much flavor.
★★★★★
Emilie Raffa says
Thank you! I never make this without the pork. It’s such an important flavor and I love it with the nutmeg and milk. I get mine at Whole Foods from the butcher counter- so good!
Donna says
I’m at the step where i am simmering the milk, nutmeg and bayleaf…at least 25 minutes has traspired and there is no way it is reduced even by half, never mind almost evaporated…i hace even transferred the mixture to a shallower, wider pan…not sire what to do
Emilie Raffa says
Hi Donna! Cooking time will vary depending on the size of the pot, how much liquid the meat releases, and if you have doubled the recipe. Using a larger, wider pot will remedy this as well as extending the simmering time to account for any excess moisture. Hope this helps.
Sabrina says
I made this and the texture and everything were spot on. It’s so much better than the other meat sauces I’ve tried. The only things I’d suggest is, 1- salt as you go since I missed seeing when to add salt, and 2. I needed to skim off some of the fat as my pork was pretty fatty. I skimmed once the fat was clearly floating on top after i added the milk. I also made a double batch. It’ll go in my recipe folder for sure. Next time I’m making the fresh pasta as well, but ran out of time on a Monday night.
Emilie Raffa says
Hi Sabrina! So glad you liked it! Yes: salt as you go. This is a great tip. In most recipes that call for layered cooking, like soups and stews etc., I typically salt when the veggies go in. But since this recipe includes pancetta (which can be very salty depending on the brand), I wait until the meat goes in. Skimming the fat works as well. I’ve added a note to the recipe :)
Kim’s says
Can you sub skim or 2% milk if you have lactose issues?
Emilie Raffa says
Sure thing! The flavor and overall richness will change slightly, but it’s totally fine. You can use whatever % milk you have on hand.
Tim colman says
Love your work. I also think this latest recipe will be easy to swap out the meat. Shared
Tim
★★★★★
Emilie Raffa says
Thanks so much, Tim! Enjoy :)