This traditional and authentic Ragù Alla Bolognese is a hearty and delicious meat sauce from the Bologna region of Italy and it is so easy to make. This recipe is perfect for a cozy night, special occasions or anytime you want a delicious Italian pasta meal.
When I want a comforting Italian recipe, I make my ragu alla bolognese! It is like a warm hug but food style.
It makes a great family Sunday dinner, a special meal, or a meal to make a double batch of and freeze some for later. Italians are not into lots of work when it comes to cooking so if they are going to make a ragu like this that takes a couple of hours to make (mostly gentle simmering time) then they make extra for an easy dinner on another evening.
This is the sauce I use to make my Lasagna Bolognese recipe and my creamy tortellini Bolognese. Since those recipes take some time to make, I like to use a batch of this ragu that I made ahead of time to make things easy.
Bologna, Italy - The Birthplace of Ragù Bolognese
In Bologna, Italy, this ragu can be found in every restaurant and every home. It is the sauce that Italians in this part of Italy are proud to call their own.
Bolognese sauce is not the same as Italian meat sauce or Spaghetti Sauce. Bolognese sauce is a slow simmered meat sauce with fewer tomatoes than an Italian American meat sauce and it also has the addition of Italian soffrito (more on that below). I have written more about Bolognese vs Meat Sauce if you want to know more.
This ragu (what Italians in Italy call it) has a long tradition in this part of Italy (and now all over Italy) and it is surprisingly easy to make. There are many variations of this recipe based on who makes it but the main parts are always the same.
What You Need
A classic ragu alla Bolognese is made with:
Meat- A blend of pork and beef!
Wine- White wine. I like to use a Gavi or a Pinto Grigio varietal.
Italian Soffritto- This is carrots, onion and celery. It is non-negotiable when making an authentic Bolognese
The Tomatoes- Good quality San Marzano Passata! It is smooth and won't leave any large pieces of tomatoes in the sauce.
Italian Olive Oil
What about the milk and cream? This recipe does not use it. While most people think this is a must, many Italians (like myself) do not make a bolognese with it.
How To Make Ragù alla Bolognese
Traditional Pasta To Serve With Ragù Alla Bolognese
It is important to note that a Bolognese sauce is traditionally served with only one type of pasta, fresh tagliatelle. They also call this dish Tagliatelle al ragù.
The reason this is important is the bite that you get from the fresh egg pasta that is cut into thin long strips and tossed with this delicious Italian ragu is what makes this dish so delicious. They also use this pasta to make a crispy prosciutto pasta!
If you want to learn how to make fresh handmade pasta when visiting Bologna, Italy, these Italian pasta makers are the best. I learned so much from them on how to make fresh pasta.
My Top Tips
Dice the Italian sofrito very finely- this makes all the difference in the final sauce. You do not want large bits of carrots and onions in the Bolognese sauce.
Gently simmer! Making an authentic Bolognese sauce is very easy to do but it also takes a little patience. You want to gently simmer the ingredients to give the flavors time to come together. Do not rush it by turning up the heat.
Use a good heavy-bottom pot. This helps distribute the heat evenly throughout the sauce while it slowly cooks.
Top with real Parmigiano Reggiano!
Storing
This dish is meant to be made ahead of time and in big batches too so you have some to freeze for later. Let the sauce cool fully then you can refrigerate it for up to 3 days or place it in the freezer in a freezer container or bag for up to 2 months.
For the best results, I like to gently thaw the sauce in the fridge overnight. To reheat it, just add it to a medium saucepan and gently simmer on low heat until warmed through.
Recipe Faqs
Bolognese sauce is a sauce that is slow-cooked and then traditionally served with tagliatelle. You will never find Italians serving this over spaghetti. Spaghetti sauce is a quicker-cooking meat sauce that is not authentic Italian and is used to cover spaghetti or other types of pasta.
Bolognese sauce is a sauce from Bologna, Italy that is made up of Italian sofrito (carrots, celery, onion), meat (usually beef, pork, and sometimes veal), wine, dairy (but not always) and tomato puree or passata. It is slow-cooked and served over tagliatelle or rigatoni.
More Classic Italian Recipes
If you love this ragu alla Bolognese recipe, you will also love these:
Authentic Ragù Alla Bolognese Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb fresh tagliatelle pasta store-bought is fine!
- 1 lb ground pork
- 1 lb ground beef
- 28 oz Tomato passata or canned pureed tomatoes
- ½ cup carrots finely diced
- ½ cup onion finely diced
- ¼ cup celery finely diced
- ½ cup Italian white wine like Gavi or Pinot Grigio
- 1 tablespoon Extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt plus more to taste
Instructions
- In a large pan over medium heat, add your olive oil, carrots, celery and onion and cook until they soften, about 2-3 minutes½ cup carrots, ¼ cup celery, 1 tablespoon Extra virgin olive oil, ½ cup onion
- Next, add the ground pork and beef and cook fully through.1 lb ground pork, 1 lb ground beef
- Add the wine and cook until the wine reduces by half.½ cup Italian white wine
- Add the tomato passata and mix well.28 oz Tomato passata
- Add salt and mix well.1 teaspoon kosher salt
- Cover and gently simmer for about 2 hours, and stir every 30 minutes or so. If it gets too thick, just thin it with a little water.
- Taste for seasoning and see if it needs any salt.
- Cook pasta according to manufacturer instructions for al dente.1 lb fresh tagliatelle pasta
- Serve tossed with freshly cooked tagliatelle or rigatoni.
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