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Home » Sauces

Bolognese Sauce

Published: Dec 16, 2021 · Last Modified: Dec 16, 2021 by Anecia

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Bolognese Sauce is often featured in Italian restaurants and when made correctly, this is absolutely delicious!

Bolognese sauce, or "ragù alla bolognese" is a hearty and flavorful meat sauce with a subtle Italian flavor and has no broth -it's a very rich, thick meat sauce that relies upon the vegetables, meats, seasonings, cream and wine for it's delicious flavor and texture!

It's typically served over a thick strand pasta like Tagliatelle, which is similar to Fettuccine, but you can use any pasta you prefer!

 

Bowl of spaghetti noodles topped with rich, thick meaty bolognese sauce and a side of bread

This recipe is remiscient of Marcella Hazan's original recipe. I took a few liberty's in the ingrendient structure, but it's still delicious!

What is Bolognese sauce?

Bolognese sauce is a rich, Italian meat sauce that incorporates sauteed vegetables, seasonings and heavy cream. Typically, Bolognese sauce is a tad thinner than it's even thicker cousin, "ragu sauce." 

It's a bit different from typical American meat sauces in that it has no beef broth or stock, and has minimal tomato flavor. 

Why you'll love it

  • Subtle flavor:  not "over the top Italian" with lots of Italian herbs
  • Simple ingredients: what makes this Italian dish so good is the addition of carrots, nutmeg, cream and red wine
  • All-natural: no preservatives, additives or fake stuff

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What you'll need

Bolognese Sauce Ingredients are: carrots, celery, onion, garlic, red wine, tomato paste, nutmeg, cream, ground beef, ground Italian sausage, basil and Parmesan cheese for garnish.

Note: there is no liquid (like stock or broth) included in this traditional meat sauce.

It may seem odd to add carrots to an Italian red pasta sauce, but believe it or not, the carrots add a tiny bit of sweetness. 

The hint of nutmeg provides a bit of a smoky flavor, resulting in a meaty red sauce to die for!

The red wine gives a bit of substance and depth and further tenderizes the meat.

How to make it

The secret to making a really good meat sauce is to use high quality ingredients and organic carrots.

Organic carrots offer a hint of sweetness to the bolognese sauce, more than conventional carrots. Here are the basic steps for making homemade Bolognese sauce:

Saute vegetables

Chopped celery, carrots and onions in stockpot with wooden spoon
Saute onion, carrot and celery in a bit of oil and butter

Brown and drain meat

Ground beef, chopped vegetables in stockpot
Add ground beef and ground Italian sausage to pan; cook until well done (no pink)

Add tomato paste to meat and onion mixture

 

Bay leaves in sauce in stockpot
Add red wine, nutmeg and bay leaves

Add heavy cream

Cream drizzled over sauce in stockpot
Add milk or cream to mixture; combine well; allow to simmer covered

Difference between Meat and Bolognese sauce?

Generally speaking, the primary difference between these two sauces is the inclusion or absence of liquid, usually in the form of beef broth.

The only liquids in Bolognese sauce are milk (or cream) and red wine.  Traditional meat sauces are thinner and include beef broth or beef stock.

In terms of flavor, Bolognese sauce is a subtle Italian meat sauce due to the inclusion of carrots and milk. Note there aren't a lot of typical Italian seasonings in the recipe and the hearty meat sauce sticks well to any kind of pasta!

Traditional "American-Italian" meat sauces often includes a host of Italian seasonings which may include thyme, oregano and/or basil. 

How long do I cook it?

Bolognese sauce can be ready in about 35 minutes, however, for the flavors to fully marry, let the rich, meaty tomato sauce simmer for at least 45 minutes.

Generally, I cook the sauce for an hour for a fully flavored meat sauce.

What kind of red wine should I use?

I always say, when cooking with wine, "use a wine you'd drink," however, if you don't drink wine, a nice red blend works well in this Bolognese sauce recipe.

You might use a Cabernet, Merlot or Pinto Noir.

When properly re-sealed, red wine holds up for about three months, so you can use a splash here and there in other recipes.

The point it, the red wine does not need to be expensive, but a red cooking wine is not recommended simply because it doesn't offer the same flavor profile as a non-cooking red wine.

Suggestions for leftover Bolognese Sauce

If you have some meat sauce leftover, use it to make Lasagne or stuffed shells, like Cannelloni or Manicotti!

 

Round bowl of spaghetti noodles with bolognese sauce in the center, topped with parmesan cheese

If you can't get to Italy fast enough, make a big batch of this this traditional Bolognese sauce and serve with a crisp green salad and some warm bread! 

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  • Spaghetti Carbonara
  • Chicken Spaghetti Casserole
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If you make this recipe, please scroll down and leave a rating and comment. I love to hear from you! Thank you!

A bowl of pasta topped with bolognese sauce and parmesan cheese

Spaghetti with Bolognese Sauce

An Italian favorite! Rich, thick, robust meat sauce served over spaghetti noodles!
5 from 11 votes
Print Text Recipe Rate
Course: Entree
Cuisine: Italian
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Total Yield: 8 cups
Author: Anecia Hero
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Ingredients 

  • 1 pound ground beef , lean ground beef (90/10)
  • 1 pound ground Italian sausage , mild or spicy
  • 2 tablespoons butter , salted or unsalted
  • ½ cup milk or heavy cream , 2% or whole
  • 1 tablespoon oil , canola, vegetable or Olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ½ cup chopped yellow onion
  • ⅔ cup chopped celery
  • ⅔ cup chopped carrot
  • 2 tablespoons garlic , chopped or minced
  • 2 dried bay leaves
  • 1 tablespoon basil , chopped (for garnish-optional)
  • 3 ounces tomato paste
  • ½ cup red wine
  • Parmesan cheese grated (as garnish)
  • salt- to taste

Instructions 

Prep

  • Dice onion, celery and carrot
    ½ cup chopped yellow onion, ⅔ cup chopped celery, ⅔ cup chopped carrot

Make the Sauce

  • Add oil and butter to large stockpot; add chopped carrots, onion and celery; saute for 8 minutes
    2 tablespoons butter, 1 tablespoon oil, ½ cup chopped yellow onion, ⅔ cup chopped carrot, ⅔ cup chopped celery
  • Add ground beef and pork to vegetbles to same stockpot; cook until beef and pork are browned (no visible pink) (See Recipe Notes: "Cook the Meat")
    1 pound ground beef, 1 pound ground Italian sausage
  • Add garlic, red wine, tomato paste, pepper, nutmeg and bay leaves to stockpot; combine well
    ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg, 2 tablespoons garlic, 2 dried bay leaves, 3 ounces tomato paste, ½ cup red wine, 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • Stir in milk or cream (See Recipe Notes: "Milk or Cream")
    ½ cup milk or heavy cream
  • Cover and allow to simmer at least 30 minutes; add additional pepper and salt to taste
    salt- to taste
  • Remove bay leaves; serve over cooked pasta of your choice; garnish with basil and Parmesan cheese
    Parmesan cheese, 1 tablespoon basil

Notes

Cook the Meat
If you use a fatty ground beef (more than 80/20), you may want to drain off a bit of the oil after browning the meat and sausage thoroughly. Pour contents into colander, drain, and return to stockpot. Resume recipe instructions.
Milk or Cream
This recipe calls for milk or heavy cream, however, you can substitute half and half.

Nutrition Estimate

Serving: 1cupCalories: 252kcalCarbohydrates: 13gProtein: 12gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 48mgSodium: 293mgPotassium: 655mgFiber: 3gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 2300IUVitamin C: 14mgCalcium: 65mgIron: 3mg
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Katrina M Unden says

    May 17, 2022 at 3:04 pm

    5 stars
    Delicious pasta sauce for sure, but the way you wrote that recipe was genius! I didn't have to scroll up to the top for my ingredients, losing my place. Excellent recipe all the way around!

    Reply
    • Anecia says

      May 17, 2022 at 4:06 pm

      Awww! Thank you, Katrina! I'm glad you enjoyed the Bolognese sauce and found the recipe easy to follow! 🙂

      Reply
  2. John says

    October 08, 2021 at 12:59 pm

    5 stars
    This is one of my favorites!!

    Reply
    • Anecia says

      October 09, 2021 at 10:40 am

      I'm glad you like it!

      Reply

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Anecia Hero, Food Blogger

About SmartyPantsKitchen

I'm Anecia, a native Texan, author, cook and photographer for SmartyPantsKitchen where I'm sharing Traditional and Contemporary Southern recipes for cooks of all levels. There's nothing fancy or gourmet about my recipes-just easy, simple, delicious and memorable! Take a tour and check out delicious recipes! 

Learn more about me →

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