Servings
Font
Back
The BEST Bolognese Sauce Recipe
5 from 351 votes

The BEST Bolognese Sauce Recipe

The BEST Bolognese Sauce features ground chuck, pork, and pancetta cooked with finely chopped onion, celery, and carrot, simmered with San Marzano tomatoes, tomato paste, white wine, milk, and beef broth enhanced by bay leaves and red pepper flakes. This meat-forward sauce offers a rich, complex flavor ideal for pasta dishes.

Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
3 hrs 30 mins
Total Time
4 hrs
Servings: 8
Calories: 543 kcal
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 1 yellow onion , roughly chopped into 1-inch pieces
  • 1 celery roughly chopped into 1-inch pieces, stalk
  • 1 carrot , peeled and roughly chopped into 1-inch pieces
  • 1 ounce can San Marzano Tomatoes about 3 cups, whole, in juice
  • 8 ounces pancetta , cut into ½-inch chunks
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 pound ground chuck beef 80/20 blend
  • 1 pound ground pork
  • ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • ½ cup white wine dry
  • 1 cup milk 2% milk fat can be substituted, whole
  • 2 cups beef broth or chicken broth
  • 3 bay leaf
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. In a large Dutch oven or heavy bottom pot, add the olive oil and butter over medium heat. In a food processor, pulse the onion, celery, and carrot until finely chopped. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft and golden, about 5-7 minutes.
  2. While the vegetables are cooking, add the tomatoes with their juice to the food processor and pulse 5-7 times until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and set aside. Wipe out the food processor, then add the pancetta to the bowl. Pulse until the pancetta is a coarse paste. Set aside.
  3. Add the ground chuck, pork, and pancetta to the Dutch oven, along with the red pepper flakes. Use a wooden spoon to break the meat apart as it cooks, just until lightly browned so the meat loses its raw edge. Add the tomato paste and cook for about 10 minutes until the paste begins to brown, stirring when needed so it doesn't burn.
  4. Add the wine and cook until the wine is almost all absorbed, about 10 minutes, stirring to scrape up any browned bits. Add the milk and cook until it has evaporated, which will take about 30 minutes, stirring and breaking up the meat more as it cooks.
  5. Add the tomatoes, broth, bay leaves, and kosher salt. Bring to a simmer then reduce the heat to the lowest setting so it cooks with barely a bubble breaking the surface occasionally. Cook for 2 ½ to 3 hours until the meat is tender and the sauce has reduced and thickened to become rich and dark in color. Toward the end of cooking, a layer of oil will likely rise to the top. Spoon off the oil or fold back into the sauce as desired. The longer you cook the sauce the better it will become. If the sauce seems to dry out, add ¼ cup hot water at a time as needed.
  6. Serve the sauce over wide egg or pasta noodles such as pappardelle, tagliatelle, fettuccine, or rigatoni. Serve topped with fresh grated Parmesan cheese/

Notes

  • This sauce pairs best with long, wide noodles but is versatile with other pasta types.
  • Leftover Bolognese can be frozen for up to three months for future meals.

Nutrition Information

Calories 543kcal (27%) Carbohydrates 5g (2%) Protein 25g (50%) Fat 45g (69%) Saturated Fat 17g (85%) Cholesterol 114mg (38%) Sodium 863mg (36%) Potassium 540mg (11%) Fiber 1g (4%) Sugar 3g (6%) Vitamin A 1563IU (31%) Vitamin C 3mg (3%) Calcium 67mg (7%) Iron 2mg (11%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 8 Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 543

% Daily Value*

Calories 543kcal 27%
Carbohydrates 5g 2%
Protein 25g 50%
Fat 45g 69%
Saturated Fat 17g 85%
Cholesterol 114mg 38%
Sodium 863mg 36%
Potassium 540mg 11%
Fiber 1g 4%
Sugar 3g 6%
Vitamin A 1563IU 31%
Vitamin C 3mg 3%
Calcium 67mg 7%
Iron 2mg 11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.