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Traditional Ragu Sauce - Bolognese

All the tips and tricks to make authentic ragu' sauce recipe - Once you try the original Italian bolognese sauce, there's no going back!

Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
2 hrs
Servings: 6
Calories: 335 kcal
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 50 g carrot finely cubed
  • 50 g celery finely cubed
  • 50 g golden onion finely cubed
  • 150 g raw pancetta finely cubed
  • 300 g ground beef (preferably shoulder cut)
  • 200 ml dry white wine
  • 300 ml pureed tomatoes or 3 tablespoon triple concentrate tomato paste
  • 1 bay leaf optional
  • 100 ml vegetable stock or brodo di pollo (chicken stock)
  • 120 ml fresh whole milk

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Heat a large pot with 2 tablespoons of olive oil over low heat. Fold in the carrot, celery and onion and cook, stirring often for about 10 minutes, until the veggies have softened.
  2. Heat another pan with the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat, fold in the pancetta and stir fry for 5 minutes, then add in the beef and continue to cook, stirring often, until it's browned.
  3. Transfer the beef and pancetta into the pot with the veggies, and bring the temperature to medium-high. Pour in the wine and allow to evaporate, about 5 minutes.
  4. Pour the tomato sauce into the pot, and add in the bay leaf (if using). Reduce heat to very low, partially cover the pot with a lid, then slowly cook the ragu' for at least 2 hours.
  5. Stir the sauce occasionally, and if you see it's drying out, pour in a bit of stock. During the last half an hour of cooking, pour in the milk a little at a time, until fully incorporated.
  6. The sauce is ready when it reaches a dense and rich texture. If it's still too runny, let it cook a little more .
  7. Serve with egg tagliatelle or short pasta, and freshly-grated Parmesan cheese on the side.

Notes

  • How To Store It: Once cooked through, allow to cool and divide the bolognese sauce among freezer-friendly containers, and store in the freezer up to 1 month.
  • Bolognese keeps well in the fridge for up to 2 days.
  • Chop the veggies by hand. I know that using a food processor might be tempting, but the hand-chopped soffritto gives the ragu' a unique texture.
  • Use freshly-minced beef, if possible. Try to avoid prepackaged supermarket minced beef, as it's usually too finely minced and you have no control over the meat cut used.
  • The meat and the soffritto need different timings and temperatures to cook, so you need one pan for each of them.
  • Brown the meat in one pan, then add it to the pan with the soffritto.
  • Alternatively, cook the vegetables first, remove them from the pan, then cook the meat, then add the veggies back in.
  • Use a large heavy-duty pan or a cast-iron pot, that will hold the heat steady.
  • If you use ground beef, the cooking process should take about 2 hours.
  • If you use knife-chopped meat instead you want to slow cook it for up to 4 hours until the meat breaks downs nicely into the sauce.
  • The traditional recipe, surprisingly, doesn't call for any kind of aromatic herbs. However, if using tomato passata or pelati, I recommend adding a bay leaf, to help level up the tomato acidity.
  • Cooking the bolognese at very low heat is the real secret that will thicken your sauce. 
  • Leave the salt and pepper out until the very end. The ragu' should be seasoned once it is cooked through.

Nutrition Information

Calories 335kcal (17%) Carbohydrates 8g (3%) Protein 15g (30%) Fat 25g (38%) Saturated Fat 8g (40%) Cholesterol 49mg (16%) Sodium 347mg (14%) Potassium 441mg (13%) Fiber 1g (4%) Sugar 5g (10%) Vitamin A 1614IU (32%) Vitamin C 6mg (7%) Calcium 54mg (5%) Iron 2mg (11%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 6Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 335

% Daily Value*

Calories 335kcal 17%
Carbohydrates 8g 3%
Protein 15g 30%
Fat 25g 38%
Saturated Fat 8g 40%
Cholesterol 49mg 16%
Sodium 347mg 14%
Potassium 441mg 9%
Fiber 1g 4%
Sugar 5g 10%
Vitamin A 1614IU 32%
Vitamin C 6mg 7%
Calcium 54mg 5%
Iron 2mg 11%

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