Simple and Versatile Bolognese Sauce Recipe – Easy to Make!
This easy bolognese sauce is all about simple, real ingredients. Start with ground beef and Italian sausage, or swap in what you have. Simmer them low and slow with tomatoes, onions, garlic, carrots, and celery while those simple flavors build into a rich and satisfying pasta sauce.
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What you’ll love about this recipe
Ingredients for Homemade Bolognese Sauce
Base ingredients
Make it your own
How to make Bolognese (Step – By – Step)
Prepare the ingredients: Chop the vegetables. Measure the wine, tomatoes, bay leaf, and a pinch of nutmeg.
Heat your pan; use a heavy-bottomed pan. Set it over medium heat.
Step 1. Once the oil in the pan is hot, add the garlic, onions, carrots and celery (or whatever veggies you are using) to the skillet. Cook them, stirring occasionally until they begin to soften.
Step 2. Add your ground meat to the pan. Cook over medium heat, breaking it up, until almost done—about 8 to 10 minutes. For a vegetarian version, sauté mushrooms or lentils for about 5 minutes, until just softened.
Step 3. Gradually add the wine or broth to the pan in intervals, allowing it to reduce before adding more.
Step 4. Stir in the tomatoes, nutmeg, and bay leaf. Reduce the heat to low and let the Bolognese sauce simmer for an hour over low heat.
Step 5. Remove the bay leaf from the sauce, and stir in the milk. Cover the pan loosely and simmer for another 15 to 20 minutes.
Tips for the best Bolognese sauce
- Save time chopping vegetables by purchasing pre-cut veggies in your supermarket or use a mini-food processor to chop them quickly.
- Dairy milk can curdle if it’s cooked for a long time, add it 15 to 20 minutes before serving your sauce.
- Look for low sodium tomatoes and adjust the salt yourself once the sauce has been cooked.
What to serve with bolognese sauce
This classic Italian meat sauce tastes great with a heartier pasta such as linguine, fettuccini, tagliatelle, pappardelle, rigatoni, ravioli, baked ziti, lasagna or polenta.
Serve pasta with Bolognese topped with shredded parmesan, pecorino romano with a side salad like this Arugula Salad with Pistachios or this Arugula and Fig Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette and a side of crusty sourdough bread and a glass of homemade elderberry wine.
Recipe Variations
Spicy. Add a teaspoon or more or less red pepper flakes for spicy sauce.
Fresh herbs. Add a handful of chopped herbs such as a combination of fresh basil leaves, fresh oregano, and fresh parsley into the sauce just before serving.
Salty. Just before serving stir in some cooked bacon, pancetta, or prosciutto.
How to Store Leftovers
In the Refrigerator – Store leftover room Bolognese sauce in the refrigerator for up to 3 days in an airtight container.
In the Freezer – Bolognese sauce freezes well, and might even taste a little better after it has been frozen. Place the leftover room temperature sauce in a freezer-safe container in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Thaw it in the refrigerator overnight. It can be heated on top of the stove over low heat or in the microwave.
Recipe FAQs
Meat sauce is tomato-based without any cream or milk added to it. Bolognese sauce is an Italian classic dish that is a creamy slow-cooked meat sauce made with tomatoes, meat, and milk or cream.
The short answer is, meat that you enjoy eating! Some bolognese recipes are made with ground beef only, or a mixture of ground beef and ground pork or sausage.
I like to use half ground beef and half Italian Sausage, which adds a ton of flavor to the sauce. Other options are a combination of ground, beef, pork, and veal. You can even use ground chicken or turkey for a lower-fat version. This is the kind of recipe that you really can’t mess up, so use whatever you like for meat.
It’s a good idea to cook with wine that you are going to drink with the meal in your recipes. Bolognese sauce tastes great when it’s paired or made with a good Cabernet, Merlot, Chianti or Pinot Noir. You can also make this recipe with white wine such as pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc. White wine will make a lighter sauce.
My preference is to use pure, fresh diced plum tomatoes when they are in season. When they aren’t in season, organic strained, San Marzano tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes or tomato sauce without added salt are a good option.
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Homemade Bolognese Sauce
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound lean ground beef
- 1/2 pound Italian pork sausage
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/4 cup diced carrots about 2 carrots
- 1/4 cup diced celery about 2 stalks
- 1/4 cup minced onion 1bout 1/2 onion
- 3 to 4 cloves minced garlic
- 3/4 cup red wine
- 1 1/2 cups diced or strained tomatoes
- a pinch of nutmeg
- 1 bay leaf
- freshly grated Parmesan cheese for sprinkling
- 1/4 cup whole milk or light cream
Instructions
- Heat a cast-iron pan or dutch oven over medium heat.
- Add the onions, garlic, carrots, and celery – cook stirring occasionally until they begin to soften which will take about 6 to 8 minutes.
- Add the ground beef and sausage to the pan and for 8 to 10 minutes until it’s almost cooked through.
- Gradually add the wine in intervals, allowing it to evaporate before adding more.
- Stir in the tomatoes, nutmeg, and bay leaf. Reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for an hour on very low heat.
- Remove the bay leaf and stir in the milk. Cover the pan loosely and simmer for 20 minutes longer and serve over your favorite pasta.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and can vary based on cooking methods and ingredients used
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Thanks Eileen!
For me the vegetarian version with mushroom and walnuts, please! Sounds amazing! Although my husband would go for the traditional meaty version. Thank you for both!
Such a hearty and delicious way to top pasta. I love a homemade sauce like this!
Is there anything better than homemade sauce??? I always make a big batch to put in the freezer so I’m going to try this one next time!
Now, this is some serious comfort food! I totally wouldn’t mind having a ladle full of this on my pasta!
I just got introduced to bolognese sauce and made some last weekend. Yours looks so much easier! Love all of the tips for freezing and saving.
I love a good, chunky, classic bolognese! It’s total comfort food and a work of love! I will often double the recipe and freeze half for another day.
We love our pasta and this sauce was amazing. So flavorful and easy to make. We made a big batch and froze half of it for another delicious meal when we can’t cook.
This sauce looks so good! I love all the veggies in it. My family laughs at me every time I add carrots to Bolognese sauce, they swear it’s wrong. Yet they gobble down the sauce.
Not much beats a big hearty bowl of pasta! This sauce sounds delicious! Can’t wait to dig into a big bowl.
Homemade is the best! I don’t make bolognese often enough.
This is total winter comfort food! I could eat this all winter long and never tire of it.
There is nothing better than pasta with bolognese sauce! I love the addition of the red wine and pinch of nutmeg!