Come and get my easy recipe for a Bolognese sauce and use this for your next family pasta dinner. It is a simple, delicious sauce that is sure to be a favorite. Save this to Pinterest so you can always find it!
I’m so excited to share my easy recipe for a Bolognese Sauce with you. It is something I have been planning to do for awhile now. This weekend’s Pasta Sunday dinner ended up being th eperfect time to make it. I was recovering from speaking at the West Michigan Home & Garden Show (which was wonderful but I was stressed about it) and really was able to relax and just enjoy the day cooking.
Family versions of Bolognese
My Grandma Leah has her own version of this recipe and it is one I have always loved. However, her’s is a bit more complicated with different types of meat involved. She spends the day making it and her kitchen smells amazing. That said, I wanted to keep this recipe for a Bolognese Sauce simple and delicious, and something that felt like it was easy to make.
As a fun side note, I have a version of this sauce in my cookbook that is coming out! However, like my grandmother’s that version is a little more involved. I don’t think I’m allowed to share anything about it yet but if you love really slow simmered sauces with tons of flavor, that sauce will be a must make for a slow weekend in your home. I’ll leave a link here when it is available for pre-order! Currently, the book is in the design phase with my publisher.
What is a Traditional Bolognese Sauce?
Bolognese Sauce is a tomato based meat sauce for pasta that hails from the city of Bologna in central-northern Italy. There is no single static recipe but the two main ingredients found are ground or chopped beef and tomatoes. Sometimes chefs believe the sauce needs to include pork and pancetta and other types of meat, but the recipe I’m sharing with your today is a simple Bolognese Sauce recipe.
A Bolognese Sauce doesn’t specifically coat the pasta like a marinara would. Instead, it is more of a chunky sauce that compliments the wide, flat noodles it is traditionally served with. You kind of want to scoop some up with a fork twirl of noodles and enjoy it that way. If you are looking for more of a sauce that coats the noodles, check out my Roasted Roma Tomato Sauce {HERE}.
My simple recipe for a Bolognese Sauce
In my recipe for a Bolognese Sauce, I’ve included extra virgin olive oil, onions, shallots, garlic, a medley of fresh herbs, ground beef and, of course tomatoes. At the end I’ll add in a little finely shredded cheese and then top it off with some more fresh herbs before serving. That is really all that goes into this simple, delicious sauce. It takes about 40 minutes to make it from start to finish but that is really because you are simmering for 30 minutes and letting the flavors come together. This time also serves a dual purpose because the sauce will thicken as it simmers uncovered.
Honestly, that is really it. It might seem simplistic but honestly, sometimes you just need a good, easy sauce.
Tips for making my recipe for a Bolognese sauce
- When making this sauce, the beef mixture doesn’t get drained after it cooks. If it seems watery to you, let it continue to simmer uncovered until more of the moisture evaporates off.
- You can used store canned or homemade sauce and diced tomatoes for my recipe for a Bolognese sauce. No matter what though make sure that they are not pre-seasoned in any way. You want plain crusted tomatoes and plain diced tomatoes.
- I used Romano cheese in this recipe but feel free to use Parmesan if you prefer.
- I used pappardelle for the noodles in the Bolognese sauce but you can use whichever long cut noodle you like. Penne would also work well.
- Use the best extra virgin olive oil you can find and use the fresh herbs. Substituting for dry will not produce the same flavor.
- Unlike a lot of my recipes, I don’t have a specific salt amount to add to this. Just season with salt and pepper to your taste.
- For leftovers, combine noodles and sauce in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator. This will keep up to 4 days.
- Reheat in the microwave for about 2 minutes. Or, add to the stove top in a sauté pan with a little extra virgin olive oil and heat until warm.
Looking for more pasta recipes?
If you are a pasta lover, here are more recipes to try!
- Creamy Lemon Butter Pasta {HERE}
- Caramelized Wild Mushroom Pappardelle {HERE}
- Creamy Apple Gouda Sausage Pasta {HERE}
- Roasted Roma Tomato Sauce {HERE}
- Garlic Ricotta Arugula Pasta {HERE}
- Sun Dried Tomato Pasta with Chicken {HERE}
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Thank you so much for visiting today, friends! I hope that you love my easy recipe for a Bolognese sauce and I hope to see you again! The full, printable recipe is below. Happy eating.
Bolognese Sauce
Equipment
- 1 large sauté pan
- 1 Large pot for pasta water
Ingredients
For the Bolognese Sauce
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 yellow onion, diced
- 1/2 shallot, diced
- 3 cloves of garlic, grated
- 1 carrot, diced
- 1 celery stick, diced
- 1 lb 85 percent lean ground beef
- 1 tbsp fresh rosemary, minced
- 1 tbso fresh thyme leaves, minced
- 1 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
- 16 oz diced tomatoes
- 28 oz crushed tomatoes
- 1/4 cup finely grated Romano cheese
- Sea salt and pepper to taste
- Extra cheese and fresh herbs for topping
For the pasta
- 1 lb long cut pasta or penne pasta
- 1/2 tsp coarse sea salt
- Large pot of water per pasta cooking instructions
Instructions
- Boil salted water for the noodles and cook to package directions. Drain when done.
- In a large saute pan over medium heat, heat the extra virgin olive oil. Once shimmering, add the the onions and shallots. Cook for about 2-3 minutes until the onions begin to soften.
- Turn the heat to low. Add the garlic in and cook for 1 minute or until fragrant. Stirring constantly to prevent it from burning.
- Add in the carrots and celery. Cook for about 3 minutes, stirring consistently. Then add int he ground beef and brown.
- Add in the diced and crushed tomatoes. Then add in the fresh herbs. Simmer uncovered for 30 minutes or until the sauce has thickened. Stir occasionally to make sure nothing is sticking to the bottom.
- Turn off the heat and mix in the Romano cheese. Mix well.
- Serve over the noodles and top with extra cheese and fresh herbs. Add sea salt and pepper to taste.
Stacy says
This looks so good! I may try it next week.