A Tangy Traditional Bolognese Sauce is the perfect sauce to pour over Tagliatelle Noodles and makes the perfect pasta dish for any day of the week!
Pour this Bolognese Sauce over homemade potato gnocchi for the perfect combo. Try my recipe for rigatoni al forno or riso al forno for something a little different!
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Why You'll Like this Dish
You'll like traditional Bolognese Sauce because it's delicious, but also because:
- easy to make sauce ready in 30 minutes
- flavor is amazing making it child friendly
- make ahead option makes the sauce perfect for a quick dinner
- versatile in that you can use any pasta you have on hand
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Bolognese Sauce vs. Ground Meat Ragu
Ragu is a general term for sauce with ground meat. You can use a variety of ingredients when making ragu like tomatoes, ground or chopped meat and wine.
Bolognese sauce is a variation of ragu and originated in Bologna, Italy. It typically contains ground pork and ground beef, onions, carrots, broth, wine, milk or cream and is usually a thicker consistency than Ragu. Bolognese sauce is usually served over tagliatelle pasta.
How to Make Traditional Bolognese Sauce
Chop your onions, garlic, celery and carrots.
Sauté until softened. Then add meat.
Once meat is full cooked, add tomato paste and cook for about 3 minutes.
Add wine and let cook for about 5 minutes letting the alcohol evaporate.
Add milk, stir and cook for about 5 minutes.
Add tomato puree or passata and bay leaf. Let simmer for about 30 minutes.
Use a spaghetti scoop to transfer cooked pasta to your skillet or bowl. Toss pasta in sauce to coat evenly.
Storage: Store any leftover sauce and pasta in an airtight container for 3 to 4 days in the fridge. You can also freeze leftovers for not longer than 1 month. Thaw in fridge and heat up in a pan with olive oil over the stovetop.
Top Tips
This recipe for traditional bolognese sauce calls for red wine. However, it is not 100% essential. If you don't like cooking with alcohol or spirits, simply skip the wine or use your favorite stock or broth.
Possible Substitutions:
Here are some possible substitutions when making a traditional bolognese sauce:
- Broth - instead of using wine, use broth or stock to add flavor
- Cream - replace milk with cream for a thicker sauce
- Basil - add basil leaves in place of bay leaves
The perfect recipe isn't that far away. I'd love to know how you substituted ingredients to fit your dietary needs. Drop a comment below and let me know!
Answers to Commonly Asked Questions
You can use either a frying pan or a saucepan to make your Bolognese sauce. In my experience using a skillet or frypan has decreased the cooking time of tomato sauce.
Chopped onions, celery, carrots, garlic, tomatoes, ground beef and ground pork. Also used is tomato paste, wine and milk or cream.
Other Main Dishes to Try
Recipe Details
Tagliatelle with a Traditional Bolognese Sauce
https://easyhomemaderecipes.caIngredients
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 clove garlic chopped
- 1 white onion diced
- 1 celery stalk diced
- 1 carrot medium sized, chopped
- 1 lbs ground beef
- 1 lbs ground pork
- 1 cups red wine or broth
- 1 cup whole milk or cream
- 24 oz tomato puree
- 4 tbsp tomato paste
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 lb tagliatelle or your favorite noodle
Instructions
- Heat up olive oil and garlic until fragrant. Add diced carrots, onions and celery and cook until soft.
- Add ground meat. Break apart the meat with a wooden spoon and cook until well done. Add in tomato paste and stir, cooking for about 3 minutes on medium.
- Add wine and cook until evaporated about 5 minutes. Add milk, stir and cook for about 5 minutes.
- Add the tomato puree and bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper. Let simmer for about 30 minutes, lightly covered. (jar a spoon between the lid and pan).
- Cook pasta according to package instructions.
- Using tongs or a spoon scoop pasta out of water into the sauce or into a clean bowl. Toss ensuring that the pasta is covered with the bolognese sauce. Serve immediately topped with parmesan cheese.
Notes
Top Tips
This recipe does call for red wine. However, it is not 100% essential. If you don't like cooking with alcohol or spirits, simply skip the wine or use your favorite stock or broth.Nutrition
PIN FOR LATER
Food Safety
Note that the storage guidelines provided on this page and site are estimates from personal experiences. We are all adults and as an adult you are responsible to ensure that the food you eat is safe to eat. Since, I'm not a food safety expert, you are responsible to review your local guidelines on food storage prior to storing any food left-overs.
Remember to:
- Not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
For Canadian Guidelines check the Government of Canada Food Safety Guidelines or see more guidelines at USDA.gov.
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