This rich and hearty bolognese sauce is made with three meats, slow-simmered with tomatoes, wine, and herbs for the ultimate Italian comfort dish.
Bolognese Meat Sauce
When my daughter Stacey was young, her favorite dish to order at our beloved Italian restaurant was rigatoni with meat sauce. On the menu it was called Bolognese sauce but we usually just called it meat sauce.
This classic Bolognese meat sauce is made the traditional way with patience and care. A savory blend of ground beef and pork is slowly simmered with smoky pancetta, onions, celery, and carrots to create a rich base. Tomatoes and white wine add a tangy, complex flavor. After hours of gentle cooking, the flavors of the sauce have plenty of time to develop to the fullest. A hint of bay leaf and nutmeg adds an aromatic quality that makes this traditional meat sauce truly something special.
Bolognese sauce is a dish the whole family can enjoy – it is complex and nuanced enough that adults will love it. It’s also very mellow and not spicy, which makes it a favorite with children.
The preparation for this meat sauce is fairly easy but it will need to cook for three hours. I like to make it a day ahead so that all the flavors can develop even more. I hope you love this recipe as much as our family does!
— Sara
What Makes a Meat Sauce Bolognese?
Bolognese sauce has a very different taste than the Italian sauces we have most of the time. Other sauces include herbs such as basil, oregano, and parsley. Bolognese sauce gets its flavor from the rich combination of cooked vegetable, wine, and the slow cooking of the sauce.
When I went to try and recreate this recipe, I looked at many Bolognese recipes. They had these things in common:
- Ground meat: some combination of beef, pork, or veal
- Pancetta: This adds a bit of smoky flavor
- Chopped vegetables: onion, celery, and carrots
- Tomatoes: often just tomato paste but some recipes had tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes
- Slow cooking: Cooked for about three hours
- Wine: either dry white or red
- Milk: I added mine at the end but I have seen other recipes that add it for the entire cooking
- Optional flavors: bay leaf, nutmeg, or garlic
What I learned from my research is that while Bolognese sauce has some basic ingredients, each cook has the opportunity to make it their own. And so I did.
I chose to use beef and pork as my ground meat and to use only tomato paste for the tomato part. I picked a dry white Italian wine for the wine.
The biggest surprise for me was the nutmeg. I waited until the sauce was done before I tried that on a small sample taste. A little pinch of nutmeg really elevated the flavor without adding a nutmeg taste!
Ingredients
- Olive oil
- Chopped veggies: onion, celery, carrots
- Pancetta
- Ground beef and ground pork
- Dry white wine
- Tomato paste
- Bay leaf
- Kosher Salt & black pepper
- Nutmeg
- Whole milk
Full recipe amounts available in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post. For your convenience in re-creating this recipe at home, we’ve included shop-able ad links to some of the products and supplies used. Read our disclosure policy here.
Helpful Kitchen Tools
- Heavy bottomed pot or Dutch oven
Instructions
- Cook pancetta in large pot with olive oil for 3 minutes, then remove from pan and set aside while you cook the chopped vegetables in the flavored oil for about 10 minutes.
- Add the ground meat and cook through.
- When meat is browned, add the white wine and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add the tomato sauce, salt and pepper, bay leaf, and 1 cup of water. Simmer on low heat for 3 hours, then stir in the milk and nutmeg.
Prep Tips
- About The Wine – This recipe does include one cup of wine. The alcohol is boiled off early on and the three hours of additional slow cooking ensures that almost all of the alcohol is cooked off, so all that remains is flavor. If you don’t drink wine or prefer to not have it in this sauce, simply omit from the recipe. You will still have a great tasting sauce!
- Types Of Pasta To Serve With – Bolognese sauce is usually served with a hearty type of pasta such as tagliatelle, pappardelle, fettuccine, or rigatoni (our favorite and pictured here). Spaghetti isn’t necessarily that “traditional” accompaniment in Italy, but it is perfectly fine to use if that’s what you have on hand!
- Optional Garnishes – We usually top our pasta sauce with grated parmesan cheese. Fresh basil is also a fantastic addition!
- Storage – This is a great recipe to meal prep with because you can make ahead of time and keep refrigerated. If you make this a day ahead, allow to cool completely, then store in refrigerator until you need it (up to 5 days).
More Classic Italian Recipes
- Baked Italian Meatballs
- Porcupine Meatballs
- Homemade Lasagna
- Slow Cooker Italian Beef Sandwiches
- Homemade Stromboli
- Linguine with White Clam Sauce
Bolognese Sauce Recipe (Printable Recipe Card)
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Bolognese Sauce
Equipment
- Large heavy bottomed pot with lid
Ingredients
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 1 cup chopped carrots
- 3 ounces pancetta
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 pound ground pork
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 12 oz tomato paste 2 small cans
- 1 bay leaf
- 1-2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ cup milk
Instructions
- In a large heavy bottomed pot, add the olive oil and chopped pancetta. Cook for 3 minutes.
- Remove pancetta from pan and set aside. Add the chopped vegetables to the pan with the oil that the pancetta cooked in.
- Sauté vegetables over low-medium heat until tender about 10 minutes. Do not brown.
- Add ground meat and cook through, breaking up as you cook it.
- When meat is cooked, add white wine and simmer for about 5 minutes.
- Add tomato sauce, pancetta, 1 tsp salt, pepper, and bay leaf plus about 1 cup water.
- Bring to gentle simmer, then reduce heat to low and cook the sauce for 3 hours.
- After 3 hours add milk and nutmeg.
- Taste and add more salt if necessary.
- If you make this a day ahead, allow to cool and store in refrigerator until you need it.
Notes
- Tagliatelle – the classic pairing in Bologna, wide flat ribbons that catch the sauce beautifully
- Pappardelle – even broader ribbons, great for hearty meat sauces
- Fettuccine – slightly narrower than tagliatelle but still great for clinging sauce
- Rigatoni – tubular pasta with ridges that trap chunks of sauce inside (what we used)
- Orecchiette – “little ears” that scoop up bits of meat and sauce
- Spaghetti - Not the traditional pasta choice in Italy, but works great
Nutrition
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