This bolognese sauce is so much more than a meat sauce. Made with ground beef and pork, lots of tomatoes, and a splash of wine this one gets ready in just 45 minutes. Served over your favorite pasta and bread for a complete meal.
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My kids' favorite pasta dish is spaghetti bolognese. Today, I am going to share with you one of my favorite ways to make meat sauce or bolognese. Bolognese is a meat sauce from Bologna, Italy. There are both traditional and non-traditional ways to make it. An original bolognese sauce is supposed to have milk at the end, but I skip the milk in mine.
If you ask my kids, they will tell you this is one of their favorite dishes. They will eat this over pasta, but also in a bowl with a spoon... yes, so good.
I make two types of bolognese. One is this with canned tomatoes and the other is with fresh tomatoes. I will share the other with you very soon. The one thing that most people always ask me about my bolognese is the color. How do you get a nice rich deep color for your sauce? Well, here's the recipe.
About this bolognese sauce
This sauce is rich, thick, and incredibly delicious. It gets done in just 45 minutes because we used canned tomatoes. The deep red color is a show-stopper.
The real secret to making a good bolognese sauce is in the process.
- It starts with a good base of classic onions, carrots, and celery. Sweat them and so they almost disappear in the sauce, which helps thicken the sauce and also adds a nice sweetness.
- Garlic, thyme, bay leaf, Italian herbs add depth of flavor.
- The meat is the show stopper. Using a combination of beef and pork makes a huge difference.
- Using canned tomatoes cuts down the cooking time, unlike fresh tomatoes.
Ingredients and substitutes
- Beef - I like using ground beef with about 18 to 20 % fat. If you use very lean the meat it will become too dry.
- Pork - I like some ground pork for flavor. You can also use pancetta instead of the ground pork.
- Tomatoes - I'm using canned today. I prefer to use two different varieties for additional flavor. Because we are using canned tomatoes, we cook it for only an hour. If we used fresh tomatoes, it would need to be cooked for at least 2 - 1 ½ hours.
- Veggies - Classic carrots, celery, and onions are all I'm using but mushrooms work as well.
- Seasoning - I'm using a ready blend of Italian seasoning, which I always have on hand. If you want, you can use fresh just as well.
- Wine - White wine is most commonly used. And yet, I love the flavor of red wine in my bolognese sauce. It also adds a nice deep color to the sauce.
- Parmesan - A little goes a long way, but it really adds a nice nutty flavor to the meat.
Video - Bolognese sauce
Step by step instructions
For the bolognese sauce
- In a Dutch oven or heavy bottom saute pan, add olive oil.
- Saute garlic, carrots, celery, and onions until translucent.
- Then, add the ground beef and pork. Break apart the beef into smaller pieces.
- Saute until you see no more pink meat.
- Add the Italian seasoning and bay leaves - continue to cook and breaking the meat apart.
- Then, add the canned tomatoes and tomato paste.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Followed by the wine - cook on high for 2 minutes.
- Then, add the water, fresh thyme, and basil.
- Cover and cook for an hour on low, stirring every 15 minutes. Adding a little water if necessary to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- Taste and adjust seasoning.
- If using milk, add the milk now add turn the heat off. Give it a good stir until you are ready for the pasta.
Cook the pasta
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil with salt.
- Add your favorite pasta. Today I am making spaghetti bolognese.
- Cook for 10 minutes or until al dente (read directions on package)
- Remove the spaghetti from the water and into the sauce.
- Alternatively, you can serve the sauce topped over the pasta.
Frequently asked questions
This pasta will keep in the fridge for 4 to 5 days. When you need to reheat it - add a few tablespoons of water to help the sauce blend again.
Boil water with salt in a large pot at least 4 times the quantity of pasta. So, 1 cup pasta would need at least 4 cups of water.
Once the water comes to a boil, add the pasta and give it a good stir.
Let the pasta cook for about 8 to 12 minutes.
The best way to check pasta is to taste it. It has to be Al Dente - meaning soft but still have a bite.
Drain the pasta and set aside until ready to use it into the sauce.
A classic bolognese does not have peas. But, you can certainly make it your own by adding any veggies your family enjoys.
The classic bolognese sauce is made with beef and pork. I've made bolognese with beef, lamb, and pork. But, you can certainly use chicken for a twist. If you do use chicken, I suggest using ground thighs or legs compared to the chicken breast to prevent it from drying out. You will also need to cook it for less time, 25 minutes. Check out my chicken with pasta in 15 minutes.
Yes, in fact, using milk is quite common in bolognese sauce. You can add ½ cup of milk at the end of cooking. It helps thicken the sauce too.
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Printable Recipe
Homemade Bolognese Sauce
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Conversions Used
1 lb = 453 grams, 1 cup = 240 ml, 1 stick = 113g, 1 tbsp= 15 ml, 1 tsp= 5 ml,
Ingredients
For the sauce
- 1 lb (500 g) Ground beef ((20% fat))
- 4 oz (100 g) Ground pork (or pancetta)
- 2 cans (30 oz) Tomatoes ((15 x 2 oz or 4 cups) crushed)
- 4 tablespoon Tomato paste
- 2 tablespoon Olive oil
- ½ cup Onions (finely chopped)
- ¼ cup Celery (finely chopped)
- ¼ cup Carrots (finely chopped)
- 1 teaspoon Garlic (thinly sliced)
- 2 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 2 Bay leaves
- ½ cup (120 ml) Water
- ½ cup (120 ml) Wine (red or white)
- 2 tablespoon Thyme (fresh)
- 2 tablespoon Basil (fresh)
- 4 tablespoon Parmesan (grated)
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Pepper
- ½ cup (120 ml) Milk (Optional)
For the pasta
- 1 lb (500 g) Pasta (spaghetti, pappardelle, tagliatelle, rigatoni)
Instructions
Bolognese sauce
- In a Dutch oven or heavy bottom saute pan, add olive oil.
- Saute garlic, carrots, celery, and onions until translucent.
- Then, add the ground beef and pork. Break apart the beef into smaller pieces.
- Saute until you see no more pink meat.
- Add the Italian seasoning and bay leaves - continue to cook and breaking the meat apart.
- Then, add the canned tomatoes and tomato paste.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Followed by the wine - cook on high for 2 minutes.
- Then, add the water, fresh thyme, and basil.
- Cover and cook for an hour on low stirring every 15 minutes. Adding a little water if necessary to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- Taste and adjust seasoning.
- If using milk, add the milk now add turn the heat off. Give it a good stir until you are ready for the pasta.
Pasta
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil with salt.
- Add the pasta. Today I am making spaghetti bolognese and cook for 10 minutes or until al dente (read directions on package)
- Remove the spaghetti/pasta from the water and into the sauce.
- Alternatively, you can serve the sauce topped over the pasta.
Recipe Notes & Tips
Tips for cooking a good meat sauce
- Use a Dutch oven or deep soup pot when making tomato-based sauces as tomato spatters while cooking
- Don't make haste, give every step the time it needs to saute, sweat, and stew.
- Cook the carrots, celery, and onions until they are soft and translucent so later they will almost disappear in an effort to thicken the sauce.
- The fat in the meat will render out and add an additional depth of flavor so try combining meats like beef and pork. If you don't have pork, use bacon or pancetta. Slice them fine and saute them with the onions
- Let the meat brown on medium-high stirring of. The caramelization adds depth of flavor to the sauce.
- Use a variety of tomatoes - different types of tomatoes bring different flavors and sweetness
- If you use fresh tomatoes - cook the sauce for 2 to 3 hours.
- Undercook the pasta if you plan to keep it for a while before servings. It will cook further while it sits in the hot sauce.
- Make extra sauce but don't drown the pasta in the sauce. Remove some and save for later.
- Extra sauce is amazing over pizza!!
Nutrition Information
The nutrition information and metric conversion are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee its accuracy. If this data is important to you please verify with your trusted nutrition calculator. Thank you
Sandrina Anderson
I love your ingredients.
I use a food processor to cut celery and carrots, garlic to a finer mince and then add onion to a fine chop. I cook it down till limp.
This step gives me all the flavor and no complaints from family members who say they don’t like carrots or celery. What they don’t see🤣
I use this excellent recipe to make lasagna, pasta, and yes, pizza!
It freezes well so I always have a quart in my freezer.
Veena Azmanov
Thank you, Sandrina for the lovely feedback.
Marina
I have always been intimidated with bolognese sauce but this one with the step by step and video made it such a breeze. Also thank you for all the Pro tips, I felt like you were standing by my side as if you could understand what was happening in my kitchen.
That is only possible when the recipe is tested and tried. So thank you for sharing all your recipes with such details.
Veena Azmanov
Thank you so much Marina for the lovely feedback. I am so happy you are enjoying my recipes. This one is definitely a family favorite here too.