Bolognese Sauce
Bolognese sauce is a classic Italian meat ragu, rich and hearty. Different from simple tomato sauce with meat, true Bolognese cooks slowly to develop complex flavors. Perfect with tagliatelle or penne.
⏱️ Cooking Time: 45 minutes
🥘 Ingredients
- 500g ground meat (mix: beef and pork)
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 carrots, diced
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- 4 cloves garlic
- 400g canned whole peeled tomatoes
- 1/2 cup red wine
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
👨🍳 How to Make
- 1
Heat olive oil in a large pot and saute onion, carrot, and celery for 5 minutes.
- 2
Add garlic and cook 1 more minute.
- 3
Increase heat, add meat and brown well, breaking into pieces (5-7 min).
- 4
Pour in red wine and let reduce by half (2-3 min).
- 5
Add peeled tomatoes, crushing them with a spoon.
- 6
Season with salt and pepper, stir and reduce to low heat.
- 7
Cook on low for 30-45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- 8
Adjust seasoning and serve over cooked pasta.
🔄 Cooking Variations
| Method | Time | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Long-cooked Bolognese (authentic) | 120 min | Authentic Bologna ragu cooks for 2-3 hours on very low heat. Incomparable flavor. | |
| Pressure cooker | 25 min | Brown the meat, add ingredients, and cook 15 min after reaching pressure. |
💡 Tips
- ✦ The onion, carrot, and celery base (soffritto) is essential for authentic flavor.
- ✦ Mixing beef and pork gives more flavor and moisture to the sauce.
- ✦ The longer you cook on low heat, the more flavorful it gets (ideal: 2 hours).
- ✦ Red wine can be replaced with beef broth if preferred.
🧠 Did You Know?
The original ragu alla bolognese from Bologna uses tagliatelle and NEVER spaghetti - Italians consider it a culinary crime!
The official Bolognese ragu recipe was registered by the Italian Academy of Cuisine in 1982.
🥗 Nutrition Info
A 150g serving of Bolognese sauce contains about 180 kcal, 8g of carbohydrates, 15g of protein, and 10g of fat. Source of protein, iron, and lycopene.