Ragu’ alla Bolognese {Bolognese Sauce}
Some things in life are worth waiting for, and a good sauce is one of them (at least for me anyway). And no surprise then, this is one of those sauces! Bolognese Sauce pronounced bowl-own-ez-ay is an amazing, rich, beautiful, robust sauce.
It’s a meat based sauce originating in Bologna Italy (hence the name). It’s NOT a tomato based sauce as some might think, it actually has very little tomato sauce. It gets it’s amazing deep burgundy color from the wine & the little tomato paste that goes in. As with most Italian recipes the ingredients can & will vary, and this is no exception. Some people use different combinations of meat, others put in livers to add a new level of flavor & even on special occasions a dab of cream is added, & some might substitute stock for the water. However, as with all of my recipes, this is the way I was taught to make my Bolognese sauce & it hits the spot every time.
I’m not going to lie, this sauce takes time. Not one of those sauces you can just decide to make at 7pm (well that is unless you’d like to eat a midnight). So for me, it’s the perfect weekend sauce. The weekend is when I have time to let it simmer away on the stove & fill the house with aromas, aromas so intoxicating that they will make your head spin (it’s true, you know I wouldn’t lie to ya). The longer this sauce cooks the better it will be. You can’t shortchange it here, so don’t even think about it, aight?
BUT with that said, don’t be afraid of this sauce. After the initial flavor building is done you just let it sit & simmer & check on it every so often to stir & add water. That’s not so hard is it? Especially not with results you’re going to get. You simply can’t get this from a jar. Just sayin…
A couple of things to remember, chop/mince your veggies as fine as possible (you don’t want big hunks of celery and carrots now do ya) If you’re not as handy with the knife just give them a quick spin around your food processor (just DON’T blitz them into a paste, a couple of pulses will do the job nicely) and please please PLEASE, ti prego, use a GOOD wine! It’s one of the major components here. Plus you can enjoy the rest of the bottle while you’re cooking the sauce *wink wink*
This sauce is amazing with fresh pasta, especially Tagliatelle. But if you don’t have time to make fresh pasta a nice thick pasta will work best to hold up to this husky man kinda sauce ; )
What you’ll need:
2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 carrots - peeled & minced
2 stalks of celery - minced
1 clove of garlic - minced
1 onion - minced
1 6oz can of tomato paste
1/2 bottle of red wine
1 lb of ground beef
1 lb of ground veal
water
s/p
1 box of spaghetti
Parmigiano Reggiano to garnish
time, lots of time *wink wink*
What to do:
In a LARGE deep sided pan (chicken fryer size) add your olive oil and heat over medium heat. When pan is hot, add the carrots, celery, onion & garlic and saute over low heat for 20-25 until completely soft & tender. Stir as necessary. Add your meats, season with s/p and cook until completely brown. When meat is browned, add the tomato paste and allow to brown, approx 5 minutes. When brown add your wine & allow to reduce by half. Season with salt. When wine has reduced add in enough water to cover the sauce by 1″. Let sauce simmer on LOW. Stirring occasionally and when liquid levels are low add more water. Cooking & reducing all while simmering. Sauce needs to cook for a MINIMUM of one hour but is best after 2-3 or even more hours.
Prepare your spaghetti according to package directions. When pasta is aldente, reserve a bit of pasta water & remove pasta from pot, drain & transfer into sauce pan. Mix together with tongs so sauce & pasta incorporate. Add a nice handful or two of Parmigiano Reggiano & serve immediately.
Buon Appetito!
Paula, I don’t eat veal. What would you suggest I use as a substitution for it? Ground pork or turkey?
Ciao bella! You can use all beef or whatever combination of meats that you like
Thanks, Darlin’! I’m going to give your “gravy” recipe a try this weekend. Sounds luscious!
I used to mix with ground beef but it has changed since my husband decided to be a pesco-vegetarian. No meat anymore, only plant products and fish/seafood.
Sounds delicious! Grazie! Ciao bella!
Beautiful sauce Paula! I can just imagine the deep flavours in this after simmering for so many hours. Beautiful!!
Great post!
Paula, bolognese is probably one of favorite sauces. I remember trying to whip it up for a “quick” dinner and then wonder why it never tasted as good as the sauces made in Italy. THEN, I took a cooking class in Tuscany and learned the secret to many Italian dishes is slow cooking–hard for me to do cuz when it starts smelling good, my mouth starts watering!!
So, you are sooooo right. You can’t shortchange it. Let it simmer! BTW–I use 1/3 beef, 1/3 veal, 1/3 pork. Have you tried it that way?
I made this with M Hazan’s recipe and thought it was so great…it does take time, but it is so worth it. I am going to try your version this winter when I love being inside and having something to mess with on the stove all afternoon…yours looks delicious.
That recipe is a winner and pretty similar to my grandma’s recipe, except that we add ground clove (yes, weird, but gives a fab flavor).
Thanks for sharing!
You rock! I have ground beef and veal and was on a mission to find a good bolognese sauce because well it rocks and more importantly it is that time of year.
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Wow ask and ye shall receive…………muchas gracias chica!!!
On the menu for this weekend maybe. My only question is no mushrooms?
this is so comfort food
can’t wait to try it. Thanks for the recipe Paula 
This sounds and looks fantastic. I simmer my sauce for 2-3 hours, too. In the meantime, you can make homemade pasta….or get work done haha.
Paula, you took me back to Bella Italia! I think its time for me to stock my freezer with some bolognese, which we obviously got taugh by the same person in Italia (la nonna!)… and maybe next week I will make a Lasagna. Like you said a perfect excuse to fill the house with all those aromas.
This looks amazing Funny Bolognese is my fav but I seldom make it. I can’t wait to try your recipe. Thanks for sharing it.
Bolognese is one of my favorite things to make. In fact my boyfriend usually requests it for his birthday. I usually do add a bit of milk.
Oh, I LOVE bolognese sauce and can’t wait to give your version a try. To date, my non-Italian mother still holds the title for best I’ve ever had.
totally agree - a good sauce is well worth waiting for! love making bolognese this time of year.
Congrats on Top 9! Delicious!
Looks like just the thing for this week’s rain - a great sauce and some pasta. Yum!
Ohhhh yes! You better believe I’ll be making this sauce THIS weekend!!! Mille Grazie, Paula!
Beautiful site! Impressive pictures and recipes. I am adding you to my reader!
Yum… Your bolognese sauce looks amazing. My recipe (from the North End Boston cookbook) actually calls for some whole tomatoes and heavy cream. Otherwise, it is basically the same as yours, though. I love all of the wonderful flavor from the wine!
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[...] I made a bolognese sauce and served it over fresh fettucine. So, I was super excited to see this Bolognese Sauce from Bell’ alimento this week! I will definitely give her recipe a try next [...]
You are so right about letting the sauce simmer for hours…the smell, the taste. I’m always wondering about the wine though as I don’t drink it, hubby does so he tastes tests first. Love cooking with wine and spirits anyway as the flavors enhance so much. And I made a slow cooking sauce almost like this for a baked ziti dish while our computer was on ‘vacation’ this week. Must be the fall air. Do you have a pasta dish with ricotta?
Sounds wonderful! My only question is, what wine do you use? I am not a wine person at all so I wouldn’t know a good bottle of wine if it smacked me upside the head. I would love to make this sometime this week and would love to get the right kind.
[...] this my ultimate lasagna? A proper bolognese sauce to go with it; Bell’ alimento probably has just the ticket, I’m [...]
This sauce looks like it is worth the wait. It is making my mouth water.
That is two good sauces, I have seen here. I have to look for more.
[...] 16, 2009 · Leave a Comment I made the Bolognese Sauce of Paula from Bell’Alimento. It’s very good. Thanks [...]
Ciao Kell! Thanks so much! I typically use a Merlot or Cabernet Sav. depending on what I have in the house ; ) Hope that helps!
This is sitting in a pot in my kitchen, albeit with pork instead of veal, remainder of wine in hand and looking forward to the results.
Thank you for this. This marks a definite change in my approach to bolognese.
[...] No, it behaves itself. It’s made up of a meat sauce — a ragu — and in this case Ragu alla Bolognese and a bechamel sauce. Ah, the glorious, creamy bechamel sauce! Yep, that’s count them … [...]
Great sauce! I found you on Tasty Kitchen. look forward to trying more
[...] Ragu alla Bolognese (Bolognese Sauce) from Bell’alimento [...]
This sauce is fantastic, soo yummy and in the lasagna as well. mmmmm. Thank you for posting this!
I live in Naples, Italy right now and I am LOVING your sight. Makes it so I can make the dishes I love getting out in town, so much easier.
PLus, were moving in 5 months back to the states, so I can take Bella Italia home with me.
I don’t like wine, don’t drink and have am very sensitive to the taste. Can you leave it out and still get the same great taste? Or does it cook off over time?? I want to make this this weekend and don’t want to have the wine overpower the sauce. Thanks a bunch!! ) Can’t wait to make the Cannoli.
I love your website.. so many amazing recipes. I made your bolognese sauce last week and loved it! I love to cook, but come from a family that didn’t really cook.. so your site really helps me! I’m going to try the lasagne tonight!