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Bolognese Sauce is a luscious, hearty Italian meat sauce made with ground beef, Italian sausage, pancetta, wine, and tomatoes. Served with pasta, this rich sauce makes the most satisfying pasta dinner.
Want to speed this classic recipe up? Try out my recipe for Instant Pot Bolognese.
There is nothing quite like pasta served with a rich meat sauce. And Bolognese sauce reigns supreme as the richest, most flavorful meat sauce for several reasons.
- Three Types of Meat. Pancetta, sausage, and beef work together to give the sauce dimension and heartiness.
- The Italian Sofrito. Onions, carrots, celery, and garlic add depth and freshness to create a sauce that is nuanced and balanced.
- Wine + Balsamic. My recipe for Bolognese calls for using both dry white wine and balsamic vinegar, which cut through the richness and balance the sauce.
This classic Italian meat sauce does require a bit of time to produce the richest, tastiest, Bolognese Sauce. But that effort does not go unnoticed! This sauce is so comforting and so flavorful it will become a family favorite.
Notes on Ingredients
- Pancetta: You can find pancetta in just about any grocery store, often sold in the deli section or where you find bacon. You can opt to purchase the pancetta already cubed, or a ¼ to a ½-inch slice of pancetta that you can dice yourself.
- Sausage: Use Italian-flavored sausage, not bulk sausage or breakfast sausage. Either purchase raw links of Italian sausage and remove the meat from the casings or use ground store-bought or homemade Italian sausage. Feel free to use pork, turkey, or chicken Italian sausage.
- Ground Beef: For this recipe, I recommend using lean ground beef, such as 90/10. There is enough fat rendered from the pancetta and sausage, you don't want your ground beef to render off much fat.
- Vegetables: To add richness and the classic flavor of Bolognese, this recipe calls for celery, onion, carrots, and garlic. This combination is often referred to as sofrito in Italian cooking.
- Wine: To add depth to the sauce, select a dry white wine such as Chardonnay or Pinot Grigio. Be sure it is a wine suitable for drinking, do not use cooking wine, as the flavor will not be even close to the same. If you are opposed to adding wine, simply use additional broth in its place.
- Broth: This recipe calls for chicken stock, not beef broth. While you can use beef broth, it can overwhelm the sauce, so it is best to use low-sodium chicken stock or broth.
- Tomatoes: Use crushed tomatoes or pureed whole tomatoes. Tomato sauce can have added sugars and ingredients.
- Balsamic Vinegar: The vinegar will round out the sauce and add depth. Don't overlook this ingredient!
- Heavy Cream: Feel free to use half and half or omit for a dairy-free Bolognese.
How to Make Bolognese
The following tips are provided to help you achieve perfect results. You will find the ingredient quantities and detailed instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- In a large dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat. Once the oil is heated, add in the pancetta, and cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Remove the pancetta from the pan and reserve it to add back to the sauce later.
- While the pancetta is browning, prepare the vegetables. Instead of chopping up the onions, carrots, celery, and garlic, I prefer to pulse them in a food processor fitted with an s-blade. This not only saves time but really breaks down the vegetables, allowing them to blend perfectly into the sauce.
- If the pancetta did not render off much fat, add a bit more oil to the pan, and then add in the beef and sausage. Cook until the meat is nearly fully browned, breaking up the meat into small chunks as it cooks.
- Add the vegetable mixture to the meat mixture and cook until the vegetables are softened about 5 minutes.
- Add in the oregano, red pepper flakes, bay leaf, salt, pepper, and tomato paste, and stir into the meat mixture. Allow that to cook for 1-2 minutes to toast and develop the flavor of the tomato paste and spices.
- Add in the wine (or additional stock), and scrape up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan. All those browned bits will really add to the flavoring of the sauce. Allow the wine to come to a boil and cook for 2 to 3 minutes allowing the alcohol to cook off and reduce.
- Stir in the crushed tomatoes, 1 cup of chicken stock, nutmeg, balsamic vinegar, and reserved pancetta. Bring the sauce to a boil, and then lower the heat to as low as it will go.
- Simmer the sauce, partially covered, for 2 to 3 hours, until the sauce is thickened and the meat is very tender. Be sure to check on the sauce every 20 minutes, giving it a gentle stir, and checking to see if additional stock is needed. You can add up to ½ cup additional stock as the Bolognese simmers if needed.
- Once the sauce has simmered, stir in the heavy cream and basil. Heat through for 3-4 minutes.
Pasta Bolognese
Bolognese sauce is classically served with pasta. I suggest selecting a pasta, like tagliatelle, cavatappi, pappardelle, or rigatoni, that can really catch the rich sauce and complete the dish.
I highly recommend only partially cooking the pasta and then finishing cooking the pasta in the sauce with a bit of pasta cooking water. This really allows the noodles to soak up the sauce and adds flavor to the sauce as well.
Storage and Reheating Instructions
The bolognese sauce itself freezes and reheats well. However, I don't recommend freezing the sauce with the pasta, as the consistency after freezing and defrosting may cause the pasta to become a bit on the mushy side.
- Store Pasta Bolognese in an airtight container for 3-4 days in the refrigerator and reheat individual servings in the microwave in 30-second intervals until warmed through.
- Store Bolognese Sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days and reheat over low heat on the stove until warmed through.
- For freezing, place the Bolognese Sauce in an airtight, freezer-safe container, leaving a bit of room for expansion, and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight and reheat on the stove over low heat, until warmed through.
Recipe FAQs
You can omit the cream to keep this recipe dairy-free, but it will not have the same classic flavor. Although, it is still delicious and will save a few calories.
While the pancetta is traditional and adds an incredible amount of flavor to the Bolognese, you can omit it if you do not have it on hand. I would not substitute bacon for the pancetta in this recipe, as the smokiness from the bacon will overpower the delicate notes in the sauce.
Wine adds a deep flavor along with notes of acidity that help to balance out the richness of the sauce. However, if you do not drink alcohol, feel free to use additional chicken stock in place of the wine.
Yes! While white wine is traditional, a dry red wine, such as Merlot or Cabernet, can be used in place of the white wine and the results are delicious.
More Italian-Inspired Favorite Recipes
- Italian Wedding Soup
- Instant Pot Zuppa Toscana
- Tortellini Soup
- Easy Homemade Lasagna
- Pasta Puttanesca
- Italian Baked Meatballs
If you enjoyed this recipe for classic Bolognese, please be sure to leave a comment and review below.
Bolognese Sauce
Video
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion, cut into large chunks
- 1 large carrot, peeled, and cut into large chunks
- 1 stalk celery, cut into large chunks
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 3 ounces pancetta, cubed in ¼-inch pieces
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- ½ pound Homemade Italian sausage, turkey, or pork
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 cup dry white wine, such as chardonnay
- 28 ounces crushed tomatoes
- 1 cup low-sodium chicken stock, + ½ cup more if needed
- 1 bay leaf
- ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- ½ tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 2 pounds dried pasta, such as tagliatelle, pappardelle, or rigatoni
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
- 8 leaves basil, sliced into skinny ribbons
Instructions
- In a food processor fitted with an s-blade, pulse together 1 medium onion, 1 large carrot, 1 stalk celery, and 3 cloves garlic until finely minced. Reserve to add to the sauce.
- In a large dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil over medium-high heat. Once the oil is heated, add in 3 ounces pancetta, and cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Remove the pancetta from the pan and reserve for later.
- Add 1 pound lean ground beef and ½ pound Homemade Italian sausage into the same pan the pancetta cooked in. Cook the meat until the meat is browned, breaking up the meat into small chunks as it cooks.
- Add the vegetable mixture to the meat mixture and cook until the vegetables are softened about 5 minutes.
- Add in 2 teaspoons dried oregano, ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper, and 2 tablespoons tomato paste and stir into the meat mixture. Allow that to cook for 1-2 minutes to toast the tomato paste.
- Add in 1 cup dry white wine, and scrape up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Allow the wine to come to a boil and cook for 2 to 3 minutes allowing the alcohol to cook off.
- Stir in 28 ounces crushed tomatoes, 1 cup low-sodium chicken stock, 1 bay leaf, ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, and ½ tablespoon balsamic vinegar. Bring to a boil, and then lower the heat to as low as it will go. Simmer the sauce, partially covered, for 2 to 3 hours, until the sauce is thickened and the meat is very tender. If the sauce becomes too thick as it simmers, add in up to ½ cup more stock.
- Stir in ¼ cup heavy cream and basil and allow to cook for 3-4 minutes.
- Meanwhile, cook 2 pounds dried pasta of your choice for 2 minutes less than package directions in heavily salted boiling water. Drain the pasta, reserving ½ cup of the cooking liquid.
- Add the cooked pasta, reserved cooking liquid, and ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese to the sauce. Increase the heat to medium, bring to a simmer, and cook, tossing constantly, until pasta is al dente and liquid is slightly thickened about 2 minutes.
- Serve with additional parmesan and basil as desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Another great recipe. Who knew it was so easy to make your own sauce. My husband loved it. I added mushrooms and peppers to use them up before they went bad and it came out great.
YAY! I am thrilled you and your husband enjoyed this recipe. So easy, isn't it?!
This sauce has many more ingredients than go into my usual pasta sauce but boy is it worth it! So rich and delicious it’s a real treat! Thank you Kristin for another winner.
You are welcome, Linda! I am thrilled you enjoyed!
I used a smoked goat sausage in here and it added a real richness.
I bet that was delicious! Thanks for sharing!
Could this sauce be made in a crockpot$
Hi Tresa! To prepare Bolognese in the crockpot, I would follow the recipe up to to step 6 (saute the vegetables with the meat, spices, and wine as directed.) Transfer that mixture to the crockpot. Add in the tomatoes, only 1/2 cup of chicken broth, nutmeg, balsamic, and reserved pancetta. Cook on low for 6 hours. Add in the cream and warm through for just a few minutes and then serve over pasta. Enjoy!
Did you really mean 2lbs of pasta? I only used one pound of rigatoni. It was more than enough. Sauce was excellent. I had to freeze it and hope it’s good. Thank you.
Thanks for the feedback, Joann! Yes, I typically find that 2 pounds of thin noodles work well for me. But if you like your dish really saucy (and rigatoni does absorb a lot more sauce), use 1 pound. Happy you enjoyed the flavor.
This is incredible! it's so rich and thick! I love all the flavors and it's pretty easy to make. Thanks for another great recipe!
Every time I make this my family eats it up! So delicious and make a great Sunday dinner meal!