What is Bolognese?
Bolognese is a slow cooked, thick Italian pasta sauce made up of some type of minced meat (usually beef or pork) and tomatoes. It also includes soffritto which is simply a blend of carrot, celery and onion, and here it’s used as a base to build up flavor of the sauce. The process involves sautéing and gently simmering over the stovetop, and seasonings vary by recipe including things such as herbs, nutmeg or garlic. Bolognese is pronounced in Italian boh-loh-nyey-zey and in English bow-luh-nayz. Once it’s lengthy simmer is over toss it with your favorite pasta and perhaps pair it with a simple green salad to complete it. It is one of the ultimate home cooked comfort food recipes! Tended to with care that everyone will thoroughly appreciate.
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Bolognese Recipe Ingredients
6 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into 1 Tbsp pieces, divided* 1 1/2 cups finely chopped yellow onion 1 1/4 cups peeled and finely chopped carrot 1 cup finely chopped celery 4 garlic cloves, minced (1 1/2 Tbsp) 2 lbs. 85% lean ground beef Salt and black pepper 2 (28 oz each) cans San Marzano tomatoes in puree, well crushed by hand 1 1/2 cups whole milk 1 cup dry white wine, sauce as Sauvignon Blanc 1/3 cup fresh basil stems (with leaves) 1 parmesan rind plus 1 cup parmesan for serving Unsalted chicken stock or broth, as needed to thin sauce
How to Make Bolognese Sauce
Best Type of Pasta to Serve with It
Really you can use almost any pasta with this sauce but these are some of the best options:
Pappardelle Tagliatelle Spaghetti Fettuccine
How to Store Bolognese Sauce
Keep sauce in an airtight container. Store in the fridge up to 3 days. Freeze up to 3 months.
Substitute for the White Wine
Dry red wine can be used as well or you can substitute with unsalted chicken stock or broth.
Helpful Tips for the Best Bolognese
Look for canned tomatoes in puree rather than juice for a thicker more tomatoey sauce. If you’d like you can also mince the onion, carrot and celery in a food processor rather than doing it by hand to save time. Remember that a low simmer is key here. If it’s not simmering low enough the sauce will just burn along the bottom of the pot and impart an off flavor, plus sauce will reduce too quickly. If your gas stove doesn’t have a smaller flame option you will likely need a flame tamer. Be careful not to add too much salt in the beginning as the sauce will become more concentrated therefor the salt flavor will as well. You can always add more later on but can’t take it away. Don’t forget to stir the sauce occasionally (a timer is a helpful reminder). I recommend at least every 30 minutes. When tossing the sauce with pasta I like to add a splash or two of pasta water to thin it out a little. You can use other blends of meat here if you’d like. Something like 2/3 lb. beef, 2/3 lb. veal, 2/3 lb. pork. Here you have the option to use just butter or butter and cream for a slightly creamy sauce (see notes in recipe below).
More Italian Favorites to Try
Alfredo Sauce Baked Rigatoni Cacio e Pepe Marinara Sauce Penne alla Vodka
