italian bolognese

Looking for a traditional bolognese sauce from Italy? Look no further; this authentic tagliatelle bolognese recipe is the official version commonly served in restaurants and homes in Bologna.

Tagliatelle Bolognese

tbsp extra virgin olive oil

onion (finely chopped)

carrots (finely chopped)

celery (finely chopped)

1.1 lbs ground beef mince ((500 grams))

0.45 lbs pancetta ((200 grams))

fl oz white wine ((150 milliliters) or red wine)

8.5 fl oz milk ((250 milliliters))

8.5 fl oz beef stock ((250 milliliters))

oz passata ((400 grams) or canned chopped tomatoes)

Salt and pepper (to taste)

1.32 lbs tagliatelle ((600 grams) fresh or dried)

Parmigiano Reggiano (to serve)

In a deep sauté pan over medium heat, add a little olive oil and fry the pancetta for 3 to 4 minutes. Add chopped vegetables and continue to sauté for 6 to 8 minutes, until softened. If necessary add a bit more olive oil.

Add ground beef and cook for 4 to 5 minutes while occasionally mixing until the beef has browned. If there are any big lumps, you can break them up with a spatula or wooden spoon.

Turn up the heat to high and deglaze the pan by adding the wine and scraping any brown bits stuck to the bottom with a spatula or wooden spoon. Once the alcohol has evaporated, mix in the stock and tomato passata.

Bring to a light simmer and turn the heat low. Partially cover the pan with a lid and lightly simmer for at least 1 1/2 hours while stirring occasionally. Add more stock if necessary. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the milk and simmer for an additional 30 minutes.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt and bring to a boil again. Add the pasta and cook until al dente. Take a cup of the pasta water and place it to the side. Then strain the pasta in a colander.

If the sauce looks too thick, mix in some pasta water to help thin it out. If not, move on to the next step.

Add the cooked tagliatelle to the bolognese sauce and slowly mix until well incorporated.

Turn off the heat, plate and serve immediately with grated Parmigiano Reggiano.

Our family-favorite homemade Bolognese Sauce is filled with rich, savory ground beef and juicy crushed tomatoes. Serve it over pappardelle pasta or Homemade Pasta for the ultimate Italian comfort food! For the full batch of sauce, you will need 1 1/2 to 2 lbs of pasta. Bolognese Sauce keeps well in the freezer, so feel free to double the recipe and freeze leftovers.

Bolognese Sauce Recipe

Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

unsalted butter (plus 2 Tbsp more to toss pasta)

onion (from 1 medium onion)

carrot

garlic

beef

tsp fine sea salt (plus more to taste)

tsp black pepper

dry white wine (or red wine)

oz canned crushed tomatoes

hot water (plus more as needed)

Tbsp double-concentrated tomato paste (or 4 Tbsp regular tomato paste)

parsley

milk

pappardelle (or tagliatelle pasta, to serve)

Parmesan cheese (to serve)

Sauté - In a 6-quart Dutch oven or pot over medium heat, add oil and butter. Add onion and stir until it is softened and translucent, about 3 minutes. Add celery and carrots and stir until golden, another 5 minutes. Add garlic and stir for another 30 seconds.

Add ground beef, 1/2 tsp fine sea salt, and 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper. Cook the beef, breaking it up with a spatula until it’s browned and begins releasing fat and juices, about 5 minutes.

Add white wine, turn up the heat, and continue stirring until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes.

Form the sauce - Add crushed tomatoes, 1 1/2 cups hot water, tomato paste, and parsley, and stir to combine. Stir in the milk.

Cook - Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to the lowest simmer, partially cover, and continue cooking for at least 1 1/2 hours or preferably 2 hours or until the meat is very tender, stirring occasionally. Add more hot water, 1/2 cup at a time, only as needed to keep the sauce from sticking to the bottom of the pot. When the meat is tender and you’ve reached the consistency of sloppy joes, add more salt to taste and serve.

Second time I’ve made this and my family loves it!

Last time I attempted a bolognese recipe, I felt like an absolute failure; the whole thing burned and hours of labor produced a big pot I had to throw in the trash. I told myself I'd never attempt it again but this recipe gave me my confidence back! The process was easy and straightforward, and the result was one of the best things I've ever made... Even better than my local Italian restaurant!! Thank you so much, Natasha!

Natasha I love your cooking but where is the easy bolognese recipe ? the one you cook with the marinara sauce? this is the one my kids love and can’t find it anymore:(

Natasha, I made this with fresh tomatoes the way you instructed and it was the best sauce ever!! I absolutely love the way you cook. Thank you sooo much.

What can be substituted for the wine? I’d prefer to try without it

Will Sauvignon blanc work for this recipe? Can you do a post to talk about how to freeze or use leftover wine for those of us who don’t drink alcohol but cook with it? Thanks!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBEk8OCjQZA

Bolognese Sauce is the ultimate Italian comfort food. This is a recipe we make on repeat for our family, plus it keeps really well in the refrigerator or freezer. 
⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️ RECIPE BELOW  ⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️

BOLOGNESE SAUCE INGREDIENTS: 
►2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
►2 Tbsp unsalted butter, plus 2 Tbsp more to toss pasta
►1 1/2 cups chopped onion (from 1 medium onion)
►1 celery stalk, finely chopped)
►1 medium carrot, peeled and shredded
►3 garlic cloves, minced
►1 lb ground beef (20% fat), or use a mixture of beef and pork
►1/2 tsp fine sea salt, plus more to taste
►1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
►1 cup dry white wine (or red wine)
►28 oz canned crushed tomatoes
►1 1/2 cups hot water, plus more as needed
►2 Tbsp double-concentrated tomato paste (or 4 Tbsp regular tomato paste)
►1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped (or fresh basil), plus more to serve
►1/2 cup whole milk

TO SERVE:
►1 1/2 lbs papperdelle or tagliatelle pasta
►Parmesan cheese, to serve

🖨 PRINT RECIPE HERE: https://natashaskitchen.com/bolognese-sauce-recipe/

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⏱️TIMESTAMPS⏱️
0:00 Intro
0:09 Ingredients prep
1:32 Cooking ingredients
3:13 Cooking pasta
3:43 Final seasonings
6:14 Taste test

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A rich, slow-simmered Classic Bolognese sauce perfect for Sunday supper—deeply flavorful, soulful, and worth the wait. This recipe yields 5 ½-6 cups of bolognese sauce and serves 6 people with 1 lb of pasta. 

Best Pasta Bolognese Recipe

olive oil

onion, diced

celery, small diced

carrots, peeled, small diced

garlic cloves, roughly chopped

oregano

salt, more to taste

black pepper

nutmeg

red pepper flakes

dry white wine

tomato paste

(1 ½ cups) of San Marzano tomatoes, chopped, with all the juices.

bay leaf

chicken stock

lb pasta (papparadelle

Granish: Fresh basil parsley

Cook the veggies

. Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until translucent and fragrant. Add the garlic, celery, and carrots and cook until softened. Scoop this aside.

Brown the meat

Break the ground meat apart with a fork, then add it to the pan. Sprinkle in the salt and pepper, oregano, chili flakes, and nutmeg, searing until the meat browns- this will create umami. Once browned, add the veggies back in. 

Cook off the milk

Add a cup of milk and stir, let the milk bubble all away. Cook off the wine. Add the tomato paste and white wine, and cook until mostly evaporated.

Long slow simmer

  Add the tomatoes, chicken broth, and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer, then lower the heat to medium-low and simmer very gently (tiny bubbles) uncovered, for 2 hours, stirring every 30 minutes, adding more chicken broth if needed to loosen the mixture. 

Season. Stir in 1/4 cup pecorino cheese. Taste and adjust salt, pepper, and chili flakes.  Ultimately, it should be a thick, rich, flavorful sauce.

Combine

Toss with the cooked, drained pasta, reserving a little pasta water to loosen if necessary. Stir in the remaining grated pecorino cheese and top with fresh herbs.

Made this for dinner tonight and it was so delicious! I made it with finely diced mushrooms instead of meat and omitted the milk. I will definitely be making this again! Thanks for another winner!

I made this for dinner the other night. It was very tasty! It was my first time making a bolognese sauce, and it was worth all the effort and time it took. It tasted even better the second day. I’m wishing I still had more leftover and thinking about making another batch. 🙂 Thanks for another delicious recipe!

Best bolognese ever....italy all the way.

So tasty! I made double so I could freeze a couple of portions for easy nights in the future. Also added a couple of tins of 4 bean mix for added healthiness. Big fan of your delicious recipes! xxx

https://content.jwplatform.com/videos/A7tXflga.mp4

How to make a slow-simmered, authentic Bolognese Sauce for pasta. 

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Top 3 italian bolognese recipes from across the web

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Tagliatelle Bolognese

Bolognese Sauce Recipe

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