Do you want to know the secret to making an authentic Ragu alla Bolognese? It is not the tomatoes. It is milk. Come and learn all the secrets for making a traditional Bolognese sauce recipe. The texture of traditional Ragu will melt in your mouth with meat so tender and flavorful that it is truly the star of the recipe. Save this recipe to Pinterest now so you can always find it!
I have a lot of pasta sauce recipes. In fact, I have another bolognese sauce and another Ragu that is made with braised beef. But those recipes are what Italian Americans would call a Sunday Sauce or “gravy”. This sauce is a Ragu alla Bolognese, a traditional Bolognese sauce recipe that is just like what you might find in Italy. There are two big differences in the cooking of this Ragu sauce versus more Americanized Bolognese sauce recipes that I have come across in my research. I used this as a guide in making my traditional Ragu alla Bolognese and I hope the flavors in this dish remind you of your favorite Italian restaurant in Italy.
What is Ragu alla Bolognese
An authentic Ragu alla Bolognese sauce is a meat sauce that has been slow cooked with milk or cream. The sauce originated in Bologna, Italy and while other sauces are all about the tomato sauce, a traditional Bolognese sauce recipe is all about the meat. The meat is supposed to be the star verse the tomatoes. In fact, in one of the first publications of the recipe in 189, no tomatoes were included at all to make the traditional Bolognese sauce.
The concept of “Ragu” is also broader in that it can apply to any meat sauces made with ground meat, vegetables wine and tomatoes. “Bolognese is also considered a meat sauce but in this case it is a Bologna regional variation.
Ingredients in authentic Ragu alla Bolognese
Extra virgin olive oil & Butter
The base of the sauce is started with a mix of extra virgin olive oil and butter. These belt together to give you a nice foundation for the sauce and support for the soffritto mix.
Pancetta
Pancetta is also traditional to use as part of a Ragu alla Bolognese sauce. The fat on the pancetta helps to add a richness to the sauce
Soffritto
A soffritto is a finely chopped mix of onion, carrot and celery. It is traditional to use a soffritto in Ragu alla Bolognese. Mine also includes the pancetta. I chop this all on pulse in a small food processor to help create the flavor for the base of the ragu sauce.
Meat
In a traditional bolognese sauce recipe, the meat is often a combination of beef and pork. Some people use more beef and less pork while I tend to use half and half. In using ground beef, make sure to get a higher fat content verses a lean beef. If you want to go to the butcher you can also ask them for coarsely ground beef that is not too lean. Generally, this is the more traditional type of beef you want to use if you have a Butcher near you.
Milk
This is the secret ingredient in most traditional Ragu alla Bolognese sauces. The meat is braised in it and it helps to tenderize the meat and also helps to balance the acidity of the tomatoes in the dish.
White wine
I use a dry white wine in the traditional bolognese sauce recipe and really any will do. It helps to provide balance and depth to the ragu. White is used versus red because red has a more prominent flavor and may be recognizable in the sauce.
Tomato Paste & Whole Tomatoes
My recipe for Ragu alla Bolognese makes a large pot of sauce so I used 6 oz of tomato paste and 28 oz of a good quality whole tomato with about half the sauce in the can. Even though these two ingredients are going into the pot, they are not overwhelming and will help add a little flavor without being too much. However, the whole tomatoes in their sauce is an optional ingredient. They help to give it a more sauce-like quality. If you prefer not to add them then I would still add 5-6 whole, peeled tomatoes. Preferably San Marzano tomatoes. When buying both these ingredients it is important you use the best quality you can find. I usually use the Cento brand for both of these.
Chicken Stock
Stock helps to make the tomato paste more mild and it also helps to give the sauce some liquid to burn off as it cooks down. Once everything is in the pot it needs to simmer for 2 full hours for the meat to become its most tender. In that time the stock will help it from becoming overly dry and help to blend all the flavors together in a really beautiful way.
Nutmeg
I use two pinches of this and that is it. You may have had sauces with nutmeg before and you do not want it to overpower anything, which it tends to do. Just add two pinches and call it a day.
Bay Leaf
Two bay leaves are added to the sauce for depth and to enhance the Earthy notes in the dish. This also helps to balance the acidity of any of the tomatoes.
Why is there no garlic used?
In traditional Ragu alla Bolognese garlic is not used because it tends not to add a sweetness to the dish, which is why onion, carrots and celery are used. You may think the dish will not work without it but I promise it does. Since it is not a traditional ingredient so I left it out of this authentic recipe.
The cooking process
When making the Ragu alla Bolognese, you need to give yourself time. The recipe takes at least three hours and that is due to the cooking process where liquid is reduced through simmering. The first time this happens will be when you add in the milk. You will simmer the meat (which will still be a dulled pink) in the milk until most of it has evaporated. This creates the tender meat and is the key to a more traditional bolognese sauce recipe. Then the same process happens with the wine. Together these two steps will take about 40 minutes but they could take longer.
The final simmer
Once the tomato paste, stock and tomatoes are added into the sauce, the ragu is reduced over a simmer for about 2 hours. You want to cover the pot with the lid but leave it adjar so that moisture can escape. The sauce should look similar to chili when it is completed. If for any reason you think the sauce is reducing too quickly, you can add a little extra stock or tomatoes. It really does need the full time to allow the meat to cook in a more authentic way.
What type of pasta should I use?
An authentic Ragu alla Bolognese is served with wide, flat noodles like tagliatelle or pappardelle. Either of those will work. A lot of people like to use egg noodles too verses a regular semolina flour based noodle. Try to find the freshest pasta you can to use with my traditional Bolognese sauce recipe. It will make everything taste much more authentic. I have my pasta recipe in my cookbook that can be found {HERE}.
Tips for success when making a traditional Bolognese sauce recipe
- A Dutch oven will work best to make the Ragu alla Bolognese. This recipe serves about 10 people. The Dutch oven or large pot should be at least 5.5 quarts. I have this one {HERE} that I use for everything, including all my soups and bread.
- Make sure to use the best quality extra virgin olive oil you can find. It starts off the recipe and is always an important first step in flavor.
- The soffritto should be finely chopped. If you are using a food processor, make sure to pulse until everything is small but do not over mix it or it will become too wet. If you do not have a food processor for this, I have this one {HERE} that I use. Or you can use a knife to chop everything. Just make sure to make it small.
- Make sure you do not brown the meat before adding the milk. It is vital to success for the meat flavor and texture. It will be a dull pink color when the milk is added.
- Please do not rush the cooking process. The Ragu alla Bolognese does need about 3 hours, sometimes more, to properly cook. It will make the meat melt in your mouth tender but give each step its space.
Looking for more pasta sauce recipes?
If you love a good sauce recipe like my Ragu alla Bolognese, try these too.
- Braised Beef Ragu {HERE} – This is made with a beef chuck roast and uses more flavoring ingredients and tomatoes.
- Bolognese Sauce {HERE} – This is a quicker recipe and uses more flavoring herbs and ingredients.
- Pesto alla Trapanese {HERE}
- Linguine alla Puttanesca {HERE}
- Lemon Carbonara {HERE}
- Italian Sausage Sun Dried Tomato Pasta {HERE}
- Mussels in a White Wine Sauce with Pasta {HERE} – Can include pasta if you wish.
- Pasta alla Vodka Sauce {HERE}
- Pasta with White Wine Butter Sauce {HERE}
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Thank you so much for stopping by, friends. I hope you come back again. You can find the full instructions for myTraditional Ragu alla Bolognese recipe below. Happy eating.
Traditional Ragu alla Bolognese
Equipment
- Large pot Dutch oven, at least 5.5 quarts
Ingredients
- 1 medium yellow onion
- 2 medium or 1 large carrot
- 2 celery sticks
- 4 oz pancetta
- 3 tbsp good quality extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 lb ground beef Use 80% lean to have the correct fat content
- 1 lb ground pork
- 1 1/2 cup whole milk
- 2 pinches ground nutmeg
- 2 dried bay leaves or 3 fresh bay leaves
- 1 cup dried white wine Chardonnay will work the best.
- 1/2 heaping cup tomato paste
- 28 oz whole, canned tomatoes with about 1/2 liquid from the can (Use all the liquid in the can if you are making a baked pasta dish.) See note if you want to use fresh tomatoes.
- 1 cup chicken stock
- Sea salt and pepper to taste
- For serving: Fresh parsley and freshly grated parmesan
Instructions
- In a small food processor, combine the onion, carrot, celery and pancetta to make the soffritto. Pulse until the pieces are small and finely chopped. Be careful not to over do it so the mixture does not get watery. If you do not have a food processor you can also chop everything very small and combine it.
- In a large Dutch oven, at least 5.5 qt, add the extra virgin olive oil and the butter. Melt them together over medium heat. When the butter is melted and the mixture is warmed, add in the soffritto mix. Then mix continuously over low heat for 10-15 minutes.
- Now add in the ground beef and the ground pork. Use a wooden spoon to break the meat up and mash it together. Cook just until the meat starts to lose its bright pink color. Make sure it does not brown. It should still be light pink. Once it has dulled and the milk, nutmeg and bay leaves. You can season it at this point with a little sea salt and pepper too.
- Simmer until almost all the milk has evaporated. This will take about 20 minutes. Sometimes it takes more time so depending on the moisture content of the meat.
- Next add in the wine and simmer the sauce mix until is has almost evaporated. This will take 20-30 minutes.
- Add in the tomato paste, whole tomatoes and the chicken stock. Then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover the pot with the lid but leave it slightly ajar to allow moisture to escape. Simmer the sauce for 2 hours. Check on it every now and then to give it a mix. You do not want the sauce to boil. It should just be a little bubbly as it continues to reduce. If you think the sauce is reducing too fast, you can add a little more stock or tomatoes.
- Serve with pappardelle or tagliatelle pasta, fresh parsley and freshly grated parmesan cheese. Season with sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste.
Notes
- If you want to use fresh tomatoes, use 6 peeled San Marzano tomatoes. Romas will also work if you cannot find San Marzanos. You might also then want to include about 6 oz of tomato sauce from an Italian sauce brand like Cento. If you are using this to make lasagna or a baked pasta dish then you do want to make sure to add the can of sauce as the pasta will absorb extra moisture.
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