Description
A rich, slow-simmered Classic Bolognese sauce perfect for Sunday supper—deeply flavorful, soulful, and worth the wait. This recipe yields 5 ½-6 cups of bolognese sauce and serves 6 people with 1 lb of pasta.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 1/4 cup celery, small diced
- 1 1/4 cup carrots, peeled, small diced
- 6 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 1 lb ground beef (15- 20% fat) or use ground elk or lamb, or plant-based ground meat.
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano or Italian seasoning
- 2 teaspoons salt, more to taste
- 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 14-ounce can (1 1/2 cups) of San Marzano tomatoes, chopped, with all the juices.
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1 lb pappardelle pasta, cooked to al dente, drained ( save some hot salted pasta water)
- 1/2 cup finely grated pecorino or Parmesan, divided (and a Parmesan rind- see notes)
- Granish: Fresh basil or Italian parsley
Instructions
- Cook the veggies. Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until translucent and fragrant. Add the garlic, celery, and carrots and cook until softened. Scoop this aside.
- Brown the meat. Break the ground meat apart with a fork, then add it to the pan. Sprinkle in the salt and pepper, oregano, chili flakes, and nutmeg, searing until the meat browns- this will create umami. Once browned, add the veggies back in.
- Cook off the milk. Add a cup of milk and stir, let the milk bubble all away. Cook off the wine. Add the tomato paste and white wine, and cook until mostly evaporated.
- Long slow simmer. Add the tomatoes, chicken broth, and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer, then lower the heat to medium-low and simmer very gently (tiny bubbles) uncovered, for 2 hours, stirring every 30 minutes, adding more chicken broth if needed to loosen the mixture.
- Season. Stir in 1/4 cup pecorino cheese. Taste and adjust salt, pepper, and chili flakes. Ultimately, it should be a thick, rich, flavorful sauce.
- Combine. Toss with the cooked, drained pasta, reserving a little pasta water to loosen if necessary. Stir in the remaining grated pecorino cheese and top with fresh herbs.
Notes
*Add a Parmesan rind to the simmering sauce for extra depth and richness.
Toss with pasta, serve over creamy polenta, or serve over a baked potato.
Leftovers can be kept up to 4 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Freeze for up to 3 months.
I like to make a double batch of this and freeze half.
