My favorite bolognese recipe is a rich tomato sauce made up of pancetta, ground beef, and Italian sausage. Use this meat sauce in your favorite lasagna, baked ziti, or stuffed shells recipe. Or use this versatile pasta sauce recipe on spaghetti, rigatoni, or tagliatelle. Delicious with a side of garlic knots and a simple salad.
Almost a True Bolognese Sauce
Let me cut to the chase before the bolognese police start blowing up the comment section. This is not a 100% authentic bolognese sauce… but it’s pretty darn close! And it’s 100% to-die-for delicious. Make it the next time you need a special occasion meal (and serve it with tiramisu for dessert)… it’s heaven.
- The biggest liberty I took when creating this recipe? I use herbs in the sauce. I add fresh basil which gives the rich meat sauce a welcome pop of fresh flavor.
- Secondly, I use white wine instead of red wine. Most recipes call for red wine, which is delicious in meat sauce. You can use it in this recipe if you prefer! But I actually love how white wine lightens up the sauce and makes it tase brighter.
- Instead of carrot and celery, I only use carrot. Well, carrot and onion and a ton of garlic. I tested this recipe with and without celery. And didn’t find it added enough to warrant buying a head of celery for one stalk.
- Most bolognese recipes use beef and pork. I do this, but in a roundabout way, calling for Italian sausage, ground beef, and pancetta.
Now that we’ve squared that away, let’s make some delicious bolognese sauce, shall we?
My Bolognese Recipe: Ingredients
- Olive Oil: Use whatever you typically cook with, it doesn’t need to be fancy.
- Meat: Sweet Italian sausage, pancetta, and ground beef make our meat sauce extra meat-y and delicious.
- Veggies: Fresh garlic, onion, and carrot give this bolognese sauce recipe great flavor and texture. Want the carrot, onion, celery combination? Go for it, and add a stalk of celery when you add the carrots.
- Tomato: To give our tomato sauce rich tomato flavor I use tomato paste and crushed tomatoes with basil. I don’t suggest using diced tomatoes or tomato sauce instead.
- Wine: As I mentioned earlier, I like using white wine, because it lightens the meat sauce a bit. But red wine will work just as well in this meaty tomato sauce. No wine in the house at all? Use extra beef stock and add 1 teaspoon of red wine vinegar.
- Beef Stock: In a pinch, beef broth or beef bone broth work just as well.
- Sugar: A small amount of sugar cuts the acidity from the tomatoes. And balances the flavors in the tomato sauce. You can use honey in a pinch, or if you don’t use sugar.
- Basil: I love the pop of fresh flavor basil adds to the meat sauce. If you’re on team “no herbs in my bolognese sauce” feel free to leave them out!
- Heavy Cream: One of the main ingredients that sets this recipe apart from regular American-style meat sauce. You’ll pour heavy cream into the tomato sauce near the end of cooking, creating a lusciously rich and creamy meat sauce.
- Spices: Salt and pepper season, while a touch of nutmeg adds a delicious unexpected cozy flavor you’re sure to love.
- Pasta: Pappardelle, tagliatelle, rigatoni, or spaghetti bolognese are all huge hits in my house!
- Parmesan: No matter what noodle you choose, freshly grated parmesan cheese is the perfect topping for this bolognese recipe!
How to Make Bolognese Sauce
- Cook the Meat: In a large pot over medium heat cook the pancetta until browned. Add the beef and pork sausage, break the meat into pieces, and cook until the meat browns.
- Add Veggies: Add the garlic and cook until fragrant. Then add the onion and carrots and cook until they’re softened and almost translucent.
- Make it Sauce: Stir in the tomato paste. Then add the wine and and cook for 5 minutes. Add some of the beef stock and the crushed tomatoes. Bring the sauce to a boil then reduce the heat.
- Simmer: Similar to my chili recipe, bolognese sauce tastes best with a long simmer. I suggest a minimum of for 1 hour and 30 minutes, but ideally, you’ll let it go the full 2 hours of cooking time. Slowly add the remaining beef stock as the tomato sauce cooks, stirring occasionally.
- Season: Because this bolognese sauce develops flavor as it cooks, I like to season it toward the end of cooking. Stir in the sugar, basil, salt and pepper after simmering. Then taste and add more seasoning if needed.
- Add the Cream: Reduce to the lowest setting on your stove. Slowly whisk in the heavy cream and nutmeg, stirring constantly. Let the sauce stand for at least 5 minutes before use (it thickens up during this time).
- Pasta: While the sauce is simmering, cook some pasta! Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Then follow the package instructions on how to cook the pasta al dente.
- Serve: Toss the pasta with the bolognese sauce, sprinkle with parmesan cheese (and maybe pepper flakes) and dig in!
What is Bolognese Sauce (vs Meat Sauce)
What makes an authentic Bolognese sauce, aka also Ragù Bolognese, different than meat sauce?
Bolognese is a rich and hearty meat-focused sauce that has several trademark characteristics:
- Ingredients: Typically a true bolognese sauce features ground beef or veal, and pancetta as the meat. The recipe also typically includes wine, beef stock, crushed tomatoes, and milk or heavy cream.
- Appearance: A bolognese is thicker and richer than a typical American-style meat sauce. It should have a creamy deep red color.
- Cooking: Unlike a quick meat sauce, a bolognese sauce is slow simmered over low heat for a few hours.
Can I Make Bolognese Sauce in a Slow Cook Crockpot?
You can put this bolognese sauce in a crock-pot or slow-cooker. But it’ll need to start in a large pot on the stove!
Once you reach the “simmer” phase, transfer this bolognese sauce recipe to your slow cooker. From there, you can “cook” on the lowest setting for up to 6 hours. Or put it in your instant pot , and pressure cook for 30 to 35 minutes. Or until the texture is to your liking.
How to Freeze Bolognese Sauce: Always have Pasta Sauce on Hand!
Whether you’re having a baby, working on your winter meal prep, or just want a few meals in the freezer for nights you don’t want to cook? This bolognese sauce recipe is here for you!
- Cook this bolognese recipe as directed in the recipe box. Then cool the sauce completely at room temperature!!! Cooling this tomato sauce can take a few hours, but be patient. You never want to freeze hot meat sauce.
- Scrape this cooled chili recipe into a freezer-safe container or freezer-bag. If you’re using a container, be sure there’s an inch of room from the top of the tomato sauce to the lid. If you’re using a freezer bag, squeeze out as much air as possible when sealing it.
- Place the container flat, in the freezer, and forget about it until needed. It’ll keep, stored this way, for up to 2 months. When you’re ready to enjoy, thaw it in the fridge overnight.
- Reheat this bolognese sauce on the stovetop until warm and bubbling. Serve with your favorite pasta recipe!
If you don’t want to freeze this meat sauce, you can still make it in advance. This tomato sauce will keep, covered in an airtight container and in the fridge, for 3 days.
Future you is going to be so happy you have this meal in your freezer!!! And it’ll keep fresh “frozen” for up to 2 months.
What to Serve Bolognese Sauce With?
Obviously, you’re going to want to pair this with homemade bolognese sauce recipe with some form of pasta! But here are a few more delicious recipes that go great with homemade bolognese:
- Italian Cannoli Recipe (A great dessert option to pair with bolognese)
- Big Italian Chopped Salad
- Soft Pretzel Garlic Knots
- Ricotta Cheesecake
Best Bolognese Sauce Recipe (Meat Sauce)
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons (28ml) olive oil
- 5 ounces pancetta diced
- 1 pound (227g) sweet Italian sausage casing removed
- 1 pound (227g) ground beef
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 1 large yellow onion finely diced
- 1 medium carrot finely diced
- 4 Tablespoons (56g) tomato paste
- 1 cup (227ml) white wine or red wine
- 1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes with basil
- 1 cup (227ml) beef stock
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup fresh basil chopped
- 1/2 cup (113ml) heavy cream
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- pasta such as spaghetti or tagliatelle
Instructions
- Place a large saucepan over medium heat. Add oil and pancetta and cook for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until browned.
- Add the sausage and beef and use a wooden spoon to break the meat up into pieces. Continue cooking until meat is browned and no pink remains, about 5 minutes.
- Add garlic and cook for 1 minute, or until fragrant. Add in the onion and carrot and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, for 6 to 8 minutes, or until onion has softened and is almost translucent. Stir in the tomato paste.
- Add in the wine and stir to combine. Cook for 5 minutes. Then stir in a 1/2 cup of the beef stock and all of the crushed tomatoes, stirring well to combine.
- Bring sauce to a boil, then reduce to medium low and continue cooking for 2 hours, slowly adding in the remaining beef stock as it begins to thicken.
- Stir in the sugar and basil and cook for another 5 minutes. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed. I suggest starting with 3/4 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper.
- Reduce to the lowest heat and slowly whisk in the heavy cream, stirring constantly. Whisk in the nutmeg. Remove from heat and let the sauce stand for 5 minutes before serving.
- Serve with pasta, ravioli, or gnocchi.
Our family loved this recipe! We used rigatoni and it paired great with the hearty meat sauce.
Can I make this without meat?
This was so good! I used red wind since you said it was ok and that’s what I had. So flavorful and my kids were basically licking their plates clean lol.
When do you put the carrot in?