This is how you prepare our tried and tested Bolognese recipe with minced meat, milk, white wine and tomatoes. With a little patience and our simple tips, you can prepare a delicious, rich, creamy and delicate sauce. Jump to the Bolognese recipe
If you’ve never made a pot of classic bolognese before, I’m here to tell you to do it! If you’re even close to a romantic chef (like me), you’ll understand that the occasional three- to four-hour recipe is soul-soothing. Most of the time I work hard to put together the quickest and easiest meal for myself or my family, but when I have a moment to spend more time in the kitchen and cook for sheer pleasure, I look up recipes like this Bolognese . I should also note that even if you’re not a romantic chef, this Bolognese recipe is worth the effort. It’s pure convenience and absolutely delicious.
What is the difference between meat sauce and Bolognese?
We’ve shared a few pasta and meat sauces on Inspired Taste, but Bolognese is different. While some of the ingredients in Bolognese are similar to American spaghetti meat sauce, authentic Bolognese is typically thicker, contains milk (so good), and calls for far fewer tomatoes.
The classic bolognese originated in the Bologna region of Italy, and while you may have heard it called spaghetti bolognese, serving it with spaghetti isn’t the norm. Instead, in Bologna you’ll see Bolognese served with tagliatelle, a pasta made into long, flat ribbons. Unfortunately, we have a hard time finding tagliatelle where we live, but we can find pappardelle that is similar.
So if you find a flatter, ribbon-like pasta, give it a try. We love how all the creases hold the bolognese sauce in place. It is also pretty.
Why do you add milk to Bolognese?
Milk is a magical ingredient when it comes to Bolognese. First, the lactic acid and calcium in milk help tenderize the meat. Additionally, milk balances the wine and tomato, creating a creamier texture and adding richness (much like butter or yogurt add richness and flavor to dishes).
Main ingredients for Bolognese
The full bolognese recipe is below, but here’s a slightly more detailed explanation of some key ingredients:
ground beef: We charge a pound of ground beef, but it’s not uncommon to use a mix of ground beef for Bolognese. Try a mix of beef and pork, or substitute pork for all the beef.
Milk: We do not recommend substituting non-dairy milk in this recipe. I use whole milk, but reduced-fat milk works too.
Dry white wine: Before we began our research, both Adam and I would have assumed that red wine is traditional for Bolognese, but after reading and testing many recipes, we’ve found that dry white wine is our preference for its acidity and lightness. We’re not the only ones who think so. Marcella Hazan also uses white wine for her traditional Bolognese recipe.
- Note: When we say dry wine, we mean using wine that doesn’t taste sweet. If you can, find a dry Italian white wine, possibly from the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy as this is where the city of Bologna is located. Otherwise, look for Pino Grigio, Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc, or another dry white wine.
Whole canned tomatoes: To make our recipe, you’ll need to purchase a large can of tomatoes (a 28-ounce can), but you don’t need all of the tomatoes in the can. Whole tomatoes are best for this recipe.
Where are garlic, oregano and basil?
Almost every red sauce on Inspired Taste requires one or all of the following ingredients: garlic, oregano, and basil. We love them and would miss them in this easy red pasta sauce or these excellent meatballs.
However, you don’t need any of these when making Bolognese, especially if you’re trying to be authentic. So do me a favor, even if you don’t think you agree with me (it’s totally fine, by the way). Please prepare the sauce first without it, then if you can’t live without it, add it according to your taste.
Our tips for the best Bolognese
Bolognese requires some patience on your part. There’s not a lot of hands-on time, but you do need to be “checked in” and aware of what’s happening in the pot throughout the cooking time. Here are a few tips that can help you with that:
Don’t worry about the meat browning. This might seem counterintuitive, but you don’t need to caramelize the meat before adding other ingredients. So when you add the ground beef, cook it until the red is gone, then continue. It’s okay if the meat sheds some moisture as well.
Cook the sauce on a very low boiling point. By very low I mean that the pot should hardly be bubbling. We want the sauce to cook slowly.
As you simmer, you may notice that the sauce looks dry. Do not worry. Just add a splash of water and turn the heat down – you might have it a little high. Don’t worry about the water watering down the flavor; There’s a lot in the pot.
More recipes like this
Our favorite Bolognese
- PREPARATION
- COOK
- IN TOTAL
Our tried and tested Bolognese recipe with minced meat, milk, white wine and tomatoes. With a little patience and our simple tips, you can prepare a delicious, rich, creamy and delicate sauce.
For more detailed explanations of key recipe ingredients and more tips, see our article above.
Use flat, ribbon-shaped pasta like tagliatelle or pappardelle. We love how all the creases hold the bolognese sauce in place. It is also pretty. We also love rigatoni. You can also prepare spaghetti bolognese and use spaghetti noodles.
For 4 to 6 people, for 2 to 3 cups
you will need
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup finely chopped onion (4 ounces or 1/2 medium onion)
3/4 cup finely grated carrot (3 ounces or 2 small carrots)
3/4 cup finely chopped celery (4 ounces or two sticks)
1 pound ground beef
1 cup whole milk
1/8 teaspoon finely grated nutmeg
3/4 cup (6 ounces) dry white wine, notes below
2 cups whole canned tomatoes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pound tagliatelle or pappardelle, or try rigatoni
directions
- make Bolognese
- Toss with noodles
Heat the olive oil and butter in a deep, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in the onion, celery, and carrots, then cook, stirring occasionally in the pan, until softened and the onions look translucent, about 3 minutes.
In the saucepan, add the ground beef, 1 teaspoon finely ground salt, and ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Using a wooden spoon, break the meat into small pieces and cook until the meat is no longer red but before it begins to caramelize. The salt encourages the beef to shed moisture, don’t be surprised if there is liquid at the bottom of the pot.
Stir in the milk and nutmeg. Bring to a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally, until liquid has evaporated leaving a mostly dry saucepan, about 30 minutes.
Stir the meat around the pot, then pour in the wine. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the wine is mostly bubbly, 10 minutes.
In the meantime prepare the tomatoes. We prefer canned whole tomatoes. Open the can, measure out 2 cups of the whole tomatoes with juice, then use a fork or your fingers to break up the whole tomatoes into smaller pieces. Of course, they’ll cook in the pot and break apart even more, but it’s a good idea to give them a head start. A 28-ounce can of whole tomatoes has about 3 cups, so you’ll have some tomatoes left over.
When the wine has evaporated, stir in the tomatoes. When the tomatoes begin to simmer, reduce the heat so they are barely simmering. We look for the occasional bubble bursting on the surface. Simmer uncovered on very low, stirring the sauce every 20 to 30 minutes for 3 hours.
If the sauce looks dry, stir in ¼ to ½ cup of water. I’ve made this 2 or 3 times during cook time and it doesn’t water down any flavor. While the sauce is cooking, taste it occasionally to see how it develops. I usually throw in a few extra pinches of salt.
Towards the end of the cooking time, it’s typical for the sauce to appear separated (with fat on top). This is excellent and exactly what we are looking for.
To serve the Bolognese, toss it with cooked pasta, then dust the top with freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.
To serve with pasta, reserve a cup of pasta water before draining. Then toss the pasta with the sauce over low heat. Next, add some pasta water and toss for about a minute. This helps the Bolognese stick to the pasta and makes everything “cheekier”.
Advice from Adam and Joanne
- Bolognese can be prepared 4 days in advance. Cover and store in the fridge. Freeze for up to three months.
- Wine: Use wine that doesn’t taste sweet. If you can, find a dry Italian white wine, possibly from the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy as this is where the city of Bologna is located. Otherwise, look for Pino Grigio, Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc, or another dry white wine.
- Instant Pot/Slow Cooker: For best results, this recipe cooks on the stovetop. It is not as suitable for pressure cookers and slow cookers. Your patience will be rewarded.
- Recipe inspired by Marcella Hazan and Bon Appetit
- Nutritional Information: The nutritional information below is an estimate. We used the USDA database to calculate approximate values. We added 1 teaspoon of salt.
If you make this recipe, take a picture and tag #inspiredtaste – we love to see your creations on Instagram and Facebook! Find us: @inspiredtaste
Nutrition per serving: serving size 1/6 of the recipe / calories 306 / total fat 20.8g / Saturated Fatty Acids 7.9g / cholesterol 64.8mg / sodium 481.7mg / carbohydrate 8.3g / fiber 1.6g / total sugar 5.2g / protein 16.4g