Ragu Alla Bolognese Recipe

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This traditional ragu bolognese paired with fresh tagliatelle pasta delivers an authentic taste of northern Italian cuisine.

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 2 50

Total Time: 3

Servings: 4 plus extra sauce leftover

Calories: 760kcal

Heat the olive oil and butter over medium heat in a large heavy bottomed pot.
Add the carrot, onions, celery, and garlic and cook, while stirring, until translucent, about 10 minutes.
Add the veal or beef, pork, and pancetta, then turn up the heat to medium-high. Use a wooden spoon to stir and break up the meat until broken up into very small pieces and deeply browned, about 20 minutes.
Lower the heat, then add the tomato paste and stir until it deepens slightly in color, about 3 minutes.
Add the wine, scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan and cook until it's reduced by more than half.
Add the milk and 1 cup of water and stir until it comes to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 1 ½ to 2 hours. Taste, then season with salt and pepper.
Cook tagliatelle in boiling salted water according to package directions.
Drain the pasta, reserving some of the pasta water, then toss with the ragu. Add a few splashes of pasta water, a little bit at a time, and toss until the sauce is creamy and clinging to each noodle.
Serve immediately with grated Parmigiano on top.

The key to authentic bolognese is patience—don't rush the vegetable cooking, meat browning, or sauce simmering process. Each step builds essential flavor.
For the best flavor, make this sauce a day ahead. Like most stews and braises, bolognese tastes even better after the flavors have had time to sit overnight.
Finish cooking the pasta directly in the sauce until it's al dente, adding splashes of pasta water to create a silky emulsion that clings to each noodle.
Ask your butcher to freshly grind the veal, pork and pancetta for best results.
This recipe produces more sauce than you will need for the pasta (about 2 cups). Serve it on the side, cook an additional 8 ounces of pasta to serve 2 more people, or freeze for a later date!