Bolognese is an easy-to-make meat sauce that is perfect for any type of pasta!
This zesty sauce has ground meat, onion, and garlic, simmered until thick and rich.
This recipe freezes and reheats well, making it the perfect weeknight meal!
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Holly’s Recipe Highlights
Bolognese differs from typical spaghetti sauce with the addition of celery and carrot plus a little bit of milk. While it may sound unusual, these ingredients add a distinct flavor, a bit of richness, and some sweetness.
- Flavor: This thick pasta sauce is zesty and full of flavor.
- Technique: Let the milk and wine simmer until almost evaporated. If you’re using a smaller pot, this can take a bit longer.
- Prep note: This recipe freezes well so feel free to double it—cook once, eat twice!
- Budget tip: You can use any ground meat for this recipe; buy what’s on sale.
- Swaps: I highly recommend wine in this recipe but if you don’t have wine, beef broth is a suitable replacement.
- Serving suggestions: This sauce is excellent over pasta—pappardelle is my favorite. You can also use it for homemade lasagna or baked ziti!
Ingredient Tips for Bolognese
- Vegetables: Onions, carrots, and celery are known as mirepoix, and they add flavor to bolognese. If you’d like other veggies, chop them finely and add them in.
- Meat: I use a combination of ground beef and pork because I love the flavor—feel free to use all beef if it’s what you have on hand. Ground veal or Italian sausage are also delicious additions.
- Tomatoes: Canned whole tomatoes have a thicker consistency compared to diced tomatoes so I prefer them in this recipe. If possible, San Marzano tomatoes are the best choice for flavor. Canned diced tomatoes or crushed tomatoes can be used, but may change the consistency slightly.
- Wine: Any dry red wine is great, but honestly any red will do. I usually use cabernet or merlot. Wine adds a lot of depth to this sauce so I highly recommend adding it.
- Milk: An unusual but traditional ingredient in an authentic bolognese sauce.
How To Make Bolognese Sauce
This bolognese sauce takes time to make but it really is easy! Once the prep work is done this recipe just simmers away until thickened.
- Cook Veggies & Meat: Brown the chopped veggies and the meat, then drain off any fat.
- Add Wine/Milk: Add the wine and let it simmer away. Next, add the milk and allow that to simmer away too.
- Simmer: Add remaining ingredients (per recipe below) and allow it to simmer until thick.
While the sauce simmers, cook pasta according to the directions. Add salt and pepper and parmesan, serve and enjoy!
Serving Suggestions
I like to serve this bolognese over long pasta such as pappardelle or tagliatelle. Serve this dish with the sides you’d add to spaghetti and meatballs.
- SALAD Round the meal with an easy tossed salad or Italian Salad for a perfect Italian feast any night of the week!
- BREAD homemade garlic bread is a must.
Storing Leftover Bolognese Sauce
Bolognese is a great sauce to make ahead since, like chili recipe, the flavors “meld and marry” and just get better.
- Store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- Freeze for up to 3 months in a sealed container, leaving about an inch for expansion. A tightly sealed zippered freezer bag works as well. Thaw in the fridge overnight.
- Reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave, stirring occasionally until hot.
More Italian Inspiration
Did you enjoy this Homemade Bolognese Sauce? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 yellow onion finely diced
- 4 cloves garlic crushed
- 1 carrot finely diced
- 1 rib celery finely diced
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- ½ pound lean ground pork
- 1 ¼ cups red wine or beef broth
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 can whole tomatoes with juices, 28 ounces each
- 4 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ teaspoon salt more to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- pappardelle or long pasta, for serving
Instructions
- In a large pot, cook onion in oil over medium heat until softened, about 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add garlic, carrot, and celery, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
- Add beef and pork. Break it up with a wooden spoon, until no pink remains. Drain fat.
- Add the wine and simmer uncovered until evaporated, about 10 minutes. Add milk and simmer uncovered until evaporated, about 8 minutes.
- Stir in tomatoes with juice, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, and bay leaf. Break tomatoes up with a spoon. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until thickened. Season with salt & pepper to taste.
- Cook pasta according to package directions. Reserve 1 ½ cups of pasta water and drain the pasta well.
- Toss pasta with sauce, adding pasta water to thin it out if needed.
- Serve hot with parmesan cheese.
Video
Notes
- Fridge – store in an airtight container or cover with plastic wrap for up to 4 days.
- Freezer – store in an airtight container, leaving about an inch for expansion, or in a zippered freezer bag for 2 – 3 months.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Pasta, Sauce
Cuisine American, Italian© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
???? please. How many oz. of the pappardelle is recommended for this recipe? 1/2 bag? Full bag?
Thank you
You will need about 2oz dry pasta per serving. This recipe serves 6 so I would suggest 12 oz pasta.
Evaporating red wine and milk takes a whole lot longer than described. Also I won’t ever use red wine again as it does not taste or smell like the regular bolognese. Had to hide the wine taste with more tomatoes, herbs and added beef broth.
If you use a smaller pot with less surface area this can increase the reducing time as well.
It tastes delicious but turned out more soupy than sauce like. Do have any recommendations on how to thicken it up?
To thicken this recipe, simmer it uncovered until it reaches desired consistency.
This was pretty tasty. But, it is NOT an authentic bolognese, which is NOT tomato based.
So you came to a website of cheap, easy to prepare American food recipes expecting an authentic Bolognese recipe? Do you also go on Italian recipe websites and tell them their pumpkin pie recipes aren’t authentic?
I used this recipe as a starting point for sauce based on what I had in my pantry and the sauce was delicious!!! I made a few subs based on my ingredients on hand: white wine instead of red, omitted the celery, and tomato sauce and chopped fresh tomatoes instead of the canned tomatoes. Really great! The wine and milk boiled down and the sauce was incredibly flavorful! Will definitely make again.
This was delicious. Thank you!
This worked really well. I made some minor changes based on what I had on hand. My wife and kids loved it.
This looked like it would be a wonderful dish…except for the milk.
I was very hesitant to put milk in from the start. I’ve never heard of milk in Bolognese recipe before. That was quite odd to me. However, I followed directions and I did it anyway.
I should have listened to my intuition. The damn stuff curdled.
I feel like it ruined a good dish that looked so very promising. Next time I’m leaving out the milk.
I’m sorry it didn’t work out for you, I have never had the milk curdle (it is a traditional ingredient in bolognese).
Look up any authentic bolognese sauce recipe, it’s in there.
made it last night family loved it would recommend to try recipt.
Oh my! No msg no fansy ingredients! I made it tonight making do with what’s on hand… subbing ground pork with a chopped frankfurter, broccoli stalks with celery , ketchup with tomato paste and fresh chopped hothouse tomatoes with canned tomatoes, and skipped carrots (got none at home)! Thickening the pot with some corn starch, I have NEVER EVER made bolognese sauce this tasty my whole life!
Delicious substitutions Mildred!
Might be good but sure as heck isn’t bolognese sauce.
Ma, no. This is not “classic Ragù Bolognese,” which, aside from some tomato paste, contains no tomatoes. Garlic, or red wine (white, or, in a pinch a dry rosé) are also not included. I’m sure this is delicious, but it’s not the classic from Emilia-Romagna.
Hi Darren, this is our take on a homemade bolognese sauce. Your additions sound delicious as well!
Yes plum tomatoes are in traditional Bolognese. White wine rather than red though
Can I use half and half since I don’t have heavy cream and only have skin milk?
You can, Kruptyna. The sauce will be much creamier but still super delicious!
I made this yesterday. I used heavy cream instead of milk otherwise I followed the recipe exactly. It was amazing. My hubby loved it! It’s definitely going into our dinner rotation. I’ve been looking for a good Bolognese recipe and this is it. Thank you!
That is awesome Patricia! Glad you enjoyed it.
I messed up and didn’t add the milk until after I put in the tomato ingredients.
It was still quite tasty. Mine made waaaay more than 6 servings. Two adults and 2 kids barely made a dent. I may be eating this for the next 3 days.
Thanks for the recipe.
With that many leftovers, I am so glad you enjoyed it, Tanya! You can also freeze it for a quick and easy meal another day.
Love you bolognese
Thanks Patti! Glad you enjoyed it!
Ahhmazing! It was a bit of work but totally worth it! It was my first time making bolognese sauce from scratch. Absolutely delish! My husband also loved it. Thank you so much for sharing :)
Actually, my family loves this more than Food Nerwork versions… Thank You!!!
Made this Monday and we loved it!! I gave the kids leftovers for school lunch and they ate it up too! This is a great recipe!
I made this yesterday and we ate it today! I followed the recipe exactly except, I used 1 lb of pork and 1/2 hamburger and I used crushed tomatoes instead of canned whole tomatoes! It was absolutely amazing! I found it to be tasty and hearty. I will very definitely add this to my ongoing recipe collection!
I purée squash, zucchini, mushrooms, spinach, onions and the tomatoes!
Sometimes I have added carrots & celery.
That way the veggies are in there & the kids don’t know & don’t pick stuff out!!!
Great idea Terry!