Authentic Pappardelle Bolognese (ragù alla bolognese)
Learn how to make a restaurant-worthy and authentic bolognese sauce at home served with pappardelle pasta noodles! This famous Italian meat sauce (also known in Italian as ragù alla bolognese) originated in Bologna, Italy, and comprises pork, beef, pancetta, and San Marzano tomatoes. The end result produces an intensely flavored sauce simmered for several hours to achieve perfect results!
Servings 8 cups
Calories 396kcal
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon salted butter
Soffritto
- 1 medium to large yellow or red onion
- 2 medium to large carrots
- 2 celery rib
Mince/Meat
- 4 oz diced pancetta
- 1 lb ground pork
- 1 lb ground beef
The sauce
- 2 cans (28 oz each) San Marzano plum tomatoes with the juices, pulsed a few times in a food processor, or add the tomatoes to a large bowl and use your hands to break into pieces.
- 3 Tablespoons tomato paste
- 3/4 cup dry white or red wine, see notes
- 1/2 cup beef stock or chicken stock, Add more as needed if the sauce gets too thick while cooking.
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 medium to large Parmigiano Reggiano cheese rind
Seasonings
- 1 healthy pinch of nutmeg
- Salt & black pepper to taste
Pasta & Cheese
- 1 lb dried pappardelle pasta
- 1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano
Instructions
- Chop the soffritto: use a chef's knife to finely chop the soffritto or use a food processor and pulse until the vegetables are chopped into fine pieces.
- Cook the pancetta: in a large cast iron or Dutch oven pot, cook the pancetta in oil and melted butter for 3-5 minutes.
- Add the soffritto: Once the pancetta is done, add the soffritto and cook for 3-4 minutes with a healthy pinch of salt.
- Brown the mince: Next, add the ground pork and beef and cook until the meat is no longer pink and most of the liquid from the meat is absorbed.
- Cook off the wine and tomato paste. Once the minced meat is cooked, add the wine and cook off the alcohol from the wine for 3-4 minutes. Stirring often. Then add the tomato paste and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes, and broth, then simmer: Once the alcohol from the wine is cooked off, add the tomatoes with the juices, 1/2 cup of broth, and the Parmigiano cheese rind. Season with a generous pinch of salt and black pepper and a healthy pinch of nutmeg, then cover the pot with a lid and cook on a very low simmer for 4-5 hours. Stir the sauce often.
- Add the milk towards the end: in the last hour to 30 minutes, stir in the milk.
- Cook the pasta and serve with the sauce: bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, then cook the pappardelle until al dente according to the package instructions. Strain the pasta but reserve about 3/4 cup of pasta water. Add the pasta and pasta water back into the pot, then add bolognese sauce as needed, with 1 cup of parmigiano reggiano cheese. Stir until all the ingredients come together, then serve with cracked black pepper and more cheese if desired. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
Herbs: This recipe doesn't officially include fresh herbs, as they are often not found in traditional Bolognese sauces. But if you'd like to add fresh basil, I'm all for it! I recommend adding any fresh herbs towards the end of the cooking time for the best fresh herb flavor.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cup of bolognese sauce without pasta | Calories: 396kcal | Carbohydrates: 15.5g | Protein: 27.8g | Fat: 23.4g | Saturated Fat: 8.6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2.6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10.3g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 88.9mg | Sodium: 765mg | Sugar: 9.8g | Vitamin A: 22IU | Vitamin C: 35mg