CLASSIC ITALIAN BOLOGNESE RECIPE

This classic bolognese recipe served with pappardelle has to be one of my all-time favorite pasta recipes. I love any kind of pasta dish but pasta with a meat ragu will always be my first choice. I’ve tried many Bolognese recipes but I always come back to this one. It’s truly my go-to pasta recipe and if I haven’t had it in a while I swear I start going through withdrawal. Pasta withdrawal… is that a thing? Well, I’m declaring it a thing! Pasta withdrawal… it’s a thing, folks! My point here is that I’ve made this sugo recipe a lot. So often in fact that I practically know it by heart. It truly is my favorite comfort food.

I don’t know if I’ve ever mentioned it before but my love of comfort and peasant foods is how this blog got its name. Yup! I named my blog after my favorite type of food. Those old-world peasant-style foods are like comfort on a plate. As a daughter of immigrant parents, I grew up on recipes that were handed down from grandparents who lived through tough times in Europe and the UK during the war. Times, when they had to make a little food, go a long way by using cheap ingredients in a creative way. While I’m grateful to live in a country and time where we have access to every kind of food imaginable I often find myself gravitating back to old-school recipes like this one.

In its origin, Bolognese (or ragu) was originally a meat-based sauce with no tomatoes. Different cuts of meat were used and often cheap cuts like offals were included. Over the years tomatoes got added and we have this version of ragu that we know now. This Bolognese is a take on the classic recipe from Bologna, Italy. I know, I know. You’re saying that there is no one Bolognese recipe and you’re right. As is common with many Italian dishes, every family has its own version that gets handed down from generation to generation and everyone will tell you that their version is THE BEST! Some use white wine, some red, some add milk or cream, others don’t. However, they all have some basic things in common. They are all meat-based sauces, they all start with the characteristic soffrito of onion, celery, and carrot, and they are all simmered for a long time to allow the flavors to meld.

In this bolognese recipe which I’m telling you is hands down THE BEST bolognese recipe ever, there is a little twist with the addition of porcini mushrooms. Adding porcini mushrooms is never something that would have been added back in the day in Bologna but I’m telling you it’s truly inspiring! The mushrooms give this dish such a deep rich, earthy flavor.

This recipe was inspired by one that I found years ago in Food & Drink Magazine however I have adjusted it a bit. Instead of only beef and pork, I prefer to use a combination of 1/3rd of each beef, pork, and veal. However, you could certainly use just ground beef and pork if you prefer. If so you want 12 oz (375 g) of each. I also like to add a little more red wine and boil it down longer. Either way, I think you’ll really love this recipe.

What Ingredients Do I Need To Make This

• Dried porcini mushrooms
• Canned whole, peeled tomatoes – For the best results, I recommend using San Marzano tomatoes but any kind will do.
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Onion – Medium-sized, finely diced.
• Carrots – Finely diced.
• Celery – Finely diced.
• Garlic – Finely chopped.
• Flat leaf parsley – Chopped. You want the flat leaf parsley as it has a more robust flavor than curly parsley.
• Lean ground beef – I recommend using the leanest beef you can find.
• Ground pork
• Ground veal
• Red wine – Please use a decent wine. It doesn’t have to be expensive but it should be something you would drink.
• Beef stock – I prefer to use low-sodium stock so I can adjust the salt myself but you can use whatever you have.
• Tomato paste
• Whipping cream – You want a heavy cream with at least 35% milk fat.
• Nutmeg – Freshly grated if possible.
• Pasta – My favorite is pappardelle but you could also use another flat, wide pasta such as tagliatelle or even a tube-shaped pasta like rigatoni.
• Parmigiano Reggiano – Freshly grated.

How Long Does This Bolognese Recipe Take?

It will take approximately 30 minutes for prep and 1 hour to simmer.

How Many People Will It Serve?

It will serve approximately 8-10 people or up to 12 if there are a couple of children.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS;

What makes a bolognese a bolognese? A bolognese is a sauce that orignated from Bologna, Italy. In it's truest form, a bolognese is a meat based sauce with the addition of just a little bit of tomato or even just tomato paste. A little milk is also typically added. This is different from the typical North American sauces which tend to be more tomato based.

Do you simmer bolognese with lid on or off? Simmering with the lid on for 2-3 hours is key to letting the flavors meld. If you want to thicken the sauce a bit you can remove the lid for the last 30 minutes. 

Why add carrots to bolognese? The carrots add a little bit of sweetness to the finished sauce. 

Do you have to put wine in bolognese? Wine is key to adding flavor and richness to the sauce so ideally you shouldn't skip it. However if you prefer not to cook with wine you could use a little extra beef broth but the sauce won't taste quite the same.    

Classic Bolognese Recipe With A Twist

A classic Pasta Bolognese recipe gets a twist with the addition of porcini mushrooms for a rich, deep flavor.

www.comfortandpeasant.com

5 from 3 votes

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Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Total Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Course Dinner, Lunch, Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Servings 8

Ingredients

  

• 1/2 Cup (125 ml) Dried porcini mushrooms
• 1 Cup (250 ml) Boiling Water
• 1 796 ml Can Whole, peeled tomatoes
• 1/4 Cup (50 ml) Extra virgin olive oil
• 1 Cup (250 ml) Finely diced onion
• 1/2 Cup (125 ml) Finely diced carrots
• 1/2 Cup (125 ml) Finely diced celery
• 1 Tsp (5 ml) Finely chopped garlic
• 1 Tbsp (15 ml) Chopped flat leaf parsley
• 8 Oz (227 g) Lean ground beef
• 8 Oz (227 g) Ground pork
• 8 Oz (227 g) Ground veal
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 3/4 Cup (185 ml) Red wine
• 1 Cup (250 ml) Low-sodium beef stock
• 1 Tbsp (15 ml) Tomato paste
• 1/4 Cup (50 ml) Whipping cream
• Pinch Nutmeg
• 1 Lb (500 g) Pasta, preferably papardelle
• 1/2 Cup (125 ml) Grated Parmigiano Reggiano

Instructions

 

• Soak the porcini mushrooms in boiling water for at least 20 minutes. Strain and reserve the mushrooms and liquid separately. Finely chop the mushrooms and put aside. Strain the tomatoes and reserve the juice for another use. Chop the tomatoes into approximately 1/2" pieces and reserve.
• Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-low heat. Add the onions, carrots and celery and cook gently for 10 minutes or until vegetables are very soft and just beginning to brown. Stir in the garlic and parsley and cook for another 3 minutes.
  
• Add the beef, pork and veal and saute until the meat loses its pinkness, about 5 – 7 minutes. Add the reserved mushrooms and season with salt and pepper. Add the red wine and boil until the wine is mostly evaporated and the mixture is saucy. You don't want it dry, just a little saucy. Stir in the beef stock, mushroom soaking water, tomato paste and tomatoes.
  
• Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to low and cover. Simmer for about 1 hour. Re-season and add the whipping cream and nutmeg. Simmer, covered for 10 minutes longer or until the flavors are combined.
• While the sauce is cooking add the pasta to a large pot of boiling salted water and boil until the pasta is just al dente. Drain well.
• Toss the pasta with the sauce and sprinkle with Parmesan.
• Serve with a little more freshly grated Parmesan.

Keyword Beef, Pasta, Pork, Ragu, Veal

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And if you’re looking for more classic recipes check out my Italian Meatballs With Tomato Sauce and my Easy Cheesy Polenta.