5.0 from 351 votes
The BEST Bolognese Sauce Recipe
The best ever bolognese sauce is slow simmered and made with both milk and wine to create a super tender meat sauce. Note that this recipe makes enough sauce to coat 1 to 1.5 pounds of pasta.
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 stalk , roughly chopped into 1-inch pieces
- 1 carrot , peeled and roughly chopped into 1-inch pieces
- 1 ounce can whole San Marzano tomatoes in juice , about 3 cups
- 8 ounces pancetta , cut into ½-inch chunks
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 pound 80/20 blend ground chuck beef
- 1 pound ground pork
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 1 cup whole milk , 2% milk fat can be substituted
- 2 cups beef or chicken broth
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Serve the sauce over wide egg or pasta noodles such as pappardelle, tagliatelle, fettuccine, or rigatoni. Serve topped with fresh grated Parmesan cheese/
Cup of Yum
Notes
- While it's most popular served over long, wide noodles, this versatile sauce is delicious served over just about any pasta.
- Leftover sauce can be frozen for up to 3 months.
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
(15%)
Fiber
1g
(4%)
Sugar
3g
(6%)
Vitamin A
1563IU
(31%)
Vitamin C
3mg
(3%)
Calcium
67mg
(7%)
Iron
2mg
(11%)
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 8Serving
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.